Thawing Together
by Cke1st
Summary: With Anna going away on her honeymoon with Kristoff, who will help Elsa keep her power under control? Sometimes the help you need comes from an unexpected source. Sometimes it can even change your life. This is a sequel to "Frozen Together." Elsa xOC, some little bits of Kristanna. Rated K-plus; the language is all K.
1. Chapter 1

**Thawing Together** Chapter 1

_A/N With Anna going away on her honeymoon with Kristoff, who will help Elsa keep her power under control? Sometimes the help you need comes from an unexpected source. Sometimes it can even change your life. This is a sequel to "Frozen Together." Elsa xOC, some little bits of Kristanna. Rated K-plus; the language is all K._

**o**

The biggest wedding Arendelle had seen in decades was just a few weeks away. Anna's preparations were all set; she was leaving nothing to chance, from her dress to the flowers to the chapel and the bishop. Kristoff, of course, was ready months ago, because men don't have to do much wedding planning. As long as his suit fit and the best man had the rings, all was well.

Queen Elsa had volunteered to help in any way she could, especially in the decorations for the reception in the ballroom. But she had just thought of one more special preparation, and this one was just about the only thing Anna _hadn't_ thought of in advance.

"Anna, who's going to help me stay focused while you're on your honeymoon?"

Elsa had learned a lot in the past year about controlling her power, rather than letting her emotions control it for her. But there were still some troublesome areas of her life where her control wavered, and she still leaned hard on her sister to help her get through those rough spots. One of the roughest spots was meeting and dealing with strangers. Her people skills had essentially gone on vacation for most of her childhood and adolescence, because she never had to meet any strangers (or any familiar people, for that matter). Now that she was the Queen, she had to meet with diplomats, envoys, dignitaries, and nobles of all kinds on a regular basis. Some of them were less than friendly. All of them sorely tested her self-control. Knowing that Anna was nearby, ready with a distraction or a word of encouragement, was often the only difference between a mildly strained social event and a humiliating international incident involving indoor snowstorms and flying icicles.

Now Anna was preparing for a month-long honeymoon. Who would help Elsa deal with the special stresses that went along with being the queen?

Anna blocked out some time to think about the problem. Who would be the best… umm... what should she call this position? Royal Pacifier? No. Official Calmer-Downer to the Queen? Whatever she called the job, the candidate had to be someone Elsa already knew fairly well, or she'd never be able to relax around that person. It had to be someone noble, so he or she could sit in the Nobles' Council as they advised Her Majesty on matters pertaining to her kingdom. A woman would obviously be preferable. As Anna considered all the duchesses and countesses in Arendelle, she had to cross their names off, one by one.

Count Basi's wife was still fearful of Elsa's power; she would make the Queen more nervous, not more relaxed. Count Nelsen's wife was a hopeless gossip who couldn't keep Council secrets if her life depended on it. The Duchess of Potet was too ambitious; she'd see this unofficial position as some kind of a promotion, and she'd make all the other nobles and their wives miserable with her gloating. Every single noblewoman in the realm had some serious disqualifier. None of them would do. Reluctantly, Anna turned to the noblemen of Arendelle to see if any of them could fill her shoes for four weeks.

Again, she had to eliminate one after another from consideration. The Duke of Erl's wife was too jealous; it could ruin his marriage if he had to spend extended amounts of time near Elsa. Count Nelsen would _love_ to spend extra time near Elsa, or any other pretty girl he could find – she didn't trust the man as far as she could throw him, and she would _not_ inflict him on her sister. Count Duku was mostly concerned with his own lands and the revenue they brought in, and wouldn't be willing to leave them for four whole weeks, not even for the sake of the Queen.

When she got to the end of the list, she was quite surprised to realize that there was one man who might – repeat, _might_ – be able to help Elsa. Anna sighed. Didn't it just _have_ to be Baron Anders?

Of course, there was nothing actually wrong with Anders; he was a perfect candidate for the job in many ways. As the only baron in a Noble's Council filled with counts and dukes, he was at the bottom of the pecking order, so none of the rank-conscious noblemen saw him as a threat. His quiet demeanor concealed a high intelligence, a habit of understatement, and a sarcastic wit that went right over the heads of the other nobles. He held Elsa in the highest respect, disagreeing with her only when he really felt strongly about it, and being extraordinarily polite even then. His appearance wouldn't intimidate anyone; he was of average height, thin, neither handsome nor ugly, and beginning to go prematurely bald.

No, the only problems with Baron Anders were that he was a year older than the Queen and that he, alone among the nobles of Arendelle, was single. Elsa was sure to think Anna was matchmaking again.

Anna was right. "Seriously, Anna? The only bachelor in the Nobles' Council is the only one you could come up with? What will people think? What were _you _thinking?"

"It's only for formal meetings, Elsa. He's not going to be your dancing partner at royal balls or anything like that. And it's only for a month, until Kristoff and I get back from our honeymoon."

"There isn't one woman in all my kingdom who could be a help to me?"

"Not among the noblewomen, no. I've really thought this over, Elsa, and I think he's the best choice for a sensitive job like this. You already know him from all those Nobles' Council meetings; it's not like I'm dumping a stranger on you. He's smart, he's discreet, he reveres you, and I think he's more sensitive to your moods than most people. There have been times when he seemed to know you were getting stressed when everyone else except me was oblivious."

Elsa thought about that. When her stress level rose, she tended to focus on Anna to the exclusion of all else. But she could recall a few times when she was growing tense in a Council session, and the Baron would suddenly suggest that everyone take a quick break from the meeting. He never made such suggestions at other times; in fact, it was uncommon for him to speak in the Council at all.

"What does he think of this idea, Anna?"

"I haven't told him about it, of course – I had to talk to you about him first. If you approve, I'll arrange an audience between you and him, and I'll… uhh… train him in what he has to do."

"Train him? You make it sound like you're presenting me with a lap dog or something!"

"Elsa, face it – not everyone has the knack for helping you stay focused. Even Mother and Father never figured it out. I just made it up as I went along, and I still do. It wouldn't be fair to throw Anders into a role like this and not give him some guidance on what works and what doesn't."

Elsa sighed. "Fine. Arrange an audience. If it works out, then tell him what he needs to know. But please don't call it 'training.' He's a baron, not a beagle."

The Queen wasn't quite sure what to make of her audience with the baron. He was polite, almost to the point of obsequiousness, but he seemed very sincere in his desire to serve his Queen. He appeared to be taken aback when he realized the implications of what Elsa was asking of him. His final remark was, "If it pleases you for me to serve in that way, Your Highness, then I'll do the best I can."

"What did you think of him?" Anna asked eagerly afterward.

"He needs to lighten up," Elsa replied. "I mean, he's a nice guy, but he's too intense. I don't look at him and think of words like 'relax'."

"I'll see if I can get that across to him," Anna replied lightly.

The "training" session was quite awkward in places. When Anna demonstrated the hands-on-arm-and-shoulder position that Elsa found most comforting, Anders nearly jumped out of his boots.

"Sorry," he said in embarrassment. "I guess I'm not used to pretty girls touching me."

"You'd better _get _used to it, because the Queen is a very pretty girl," Anna said firmly. "Of course, she isn't used to men touching her, either. I'd suggest doing this only as a last resort, and only once she's gotten more used to you. Still, it's something you might need to know." She explained the general idea of getting Elsa to think happy thoughts, and the ways to tell if she was getting stressed without waiting until the snow began to fall indoors. She also tried to encourage him to lighten up a bit.

"I'll try," he said earnestly. "I live to serve the Queen. If that's what she needs from me, then I'll find a way."

"Now you're stressing-out over being relaxed," Anna fussed. "This thing may not work out."

"Sorry," Anders said again. "I'm just kind of overwhelmed. I've been a total nobody all my life, and now, all of a sudden, I'm a personal advisor to the Queen! _Very_ personal! I usually do okay during the actual Council meetings, don't I, Your Excellency?"

"Yes, and that's why you were chosen for this... task," Anna nodded. "You've shown that you can think on your feet and adjust to changes, which is more than a lot of the hereditary nobles can do. I think you'll do okay." She rested a hand on his shoulder; he flinched for just a moment. She went on, "For the past four years, I've been Elsa's lifeline. There were times when I had to be the big sister for her. We still go back and forth on that role now and then. She's not a child; she doesn't need supervision, just a little help from time to time. I'm entrusting that role to you. You don't need to be a hero or anything.

"Just take care of my sister."

**o**

_A/N In case anyone is curious, these are the conventions this story uses for handling the nobility. Most of them are historical facts; I took some liberties with a few of them, just for the sake of the story._

_A kingdom is an independent nation, ruled by a king or a queen. A duchy is a smaller chunk of land, ruled by a duke or a duchess. Some duchies were big enough to be independent nations; others were parts of larger kingdoms. A county is the next step down in size; it is ruled by a count or a countess. The smallest land division in Norway would be a barony, which was ruled by a baron or a baroness. All these titles were handed down from the ruling parent to the oldest son, or to the oldest daughter if the ruler had no sons. The title and the land would remain in the family, no matter who married whom. I did some research and I know that Norway's real-life nobility included counts and barons; I could find nothing on dukes, but the movie says there was at least one duke (Weselton), so I'll take that and run with it._

_Kings and queens are addressed as "Your Majesty" on formal occasions, or as "Your Highness" on other occasions. If the hereditary ruler of a kingdom is a queen, her husband is called a Prince-Consort rather than a king. He outranks all other princes and nobles in the realm, and is addressed as though he were a king, but he is not eligible to reign._

_All royalty and nobles aside from the reigning sovereign are addressed as "Your Excellency" by those of lesser rank. Higher-ranking nobles are permitted to address lower-ranking nobles by name or by title._

_I have placed Arendelle in the location of modern-day Arendal, on the southern coast of Norway, even though the geography is wrong. It is a small kingdom, containing several duchies and counties, and a handful of towns and villages, in addition to the capital city. The duchy of Glauerhafen is to the east, somewhere between Arendelle and Oslo; the Southern Isles are part of modern-day Denmark; Weselton's exact location is unimportant; the other place names are real, and you can look them up on a map if you're curious._

_This might seem like a ton of useless details, but they will help explain a lot of what goes on in future chapters._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thawing Together** Chapter 2

It was a lovely wedding, as everyone knew it would be. Kristoff was a classic bridegroom – handsome, nervous, slightly clueless, and totally fixated on his bride. Anna was so radiant, she probably could have lit up the chapel all by herself. That chapel was packed with noble visitors from all the nearby kingdoms and nations, almost as many as for Elsa's coronation.

The princes and princesses got the best seats, and the low-ranking nobles sat in the back, along with the only two common people in attendance. Now that the royal palace was staffed with a more conventional number of servants, the Queen had rewarded Kai and Gerda for their years of faithful service. Kai was now the Queen's major-domo, Gerda had charge over all the other servants in the palace, and both of them had received royal invitations to Anna's wedding. It was traditional for mothers to cry at their daughters' weddings, but Anna's mother was no longer present, so Gerda did the crying.

The reception was held in the ballroom, and it was a great success. The walls and ceiling were covered with lacy, sparkling decorative patterns in shades of blue and white. If anyone touched them, they realized that the "decorations" were ice, and that they were Queen Elsa's handiwork. Every half-hour or so, she quietly made them disappear, and replaced them with a different pattern. There were servants bustling back and forth with platters full of the best food, tables groaning under the weight of the desserts, and a band playing dance music for those who were inclined to dance.

Anna was so inclined. She was hardly a skillful dancer, but she'd taken some basic lessons for this occasion, she was enthusiastic, and she wanted to be ready in case her sister pulled another "I don't dance, but my sister does" on her. Besides, her past experience had taught her that many other nobles weren't so hot on the dance floor, either, so she didn't have to be excellent to win a good reputation on the floor. Kristoff, of course, had no idea what he was doing, so she tried not to embarrass him. She made a point of dancing at least once with every nobleman in the room, returning to her new husband's arms the moment he looked wistful or jealous. If she embarrassed any of those nobles, oh well – it was all in good fun.

Elsa was much more subdued, and managed to escape the dance floor altogether, by the simple method of pointing all potential partners to her indefatigable sister. "I don't dance, but my sister does" became her catchphrase for the night. The Queen sat demurely, munching chocolate and exchanging small talk with anyone who wanted to talk to her. There weren't many of those; many of the nobles at the wedding had also been present at the coronation, and the misadventures and tragedies that had followed, and they weren't completely sure how to approach her. That didn't distress her – she was used to being by herself, and it didn't bother her the way it would have bothered her sister.

After a while, Anna noticed that one particular nobleman seemed to be avoiding her. Whenever she tried to get Baron Anders to dance, he had either just taken another dessert, or had just stepped out for some fresh air, or had found some other good reason why he couldn't dance with her at that time. He was quite skillful about it, too – he seemed to know when she was coming for him, and took evasive action at just the right moment. She decided that this reception would not end before she'd gotten at least one dance out of him, not because he was reputed to be a good dancer (he had no reputation at all), but just so he couldn't think he'd outmaneuvered Anna of Arendelle.

She almost got him when he took a moment to congratulate Kristoff, both on his lovely bride and on his ascension to the upper reaches of the nobility. "I keep forgetting about that," Kristoff nodded. "I married a princess, so I guess that makes me a prince now, right?"

"Right, Your Excellency," Anders nodded. "Once you get back from your honeymoon, maybe I can give you some pointers about how to fit in with people who were born noble. I figured it out the hard way; there's no reason you should have to do it that way, too. _If_ a prince is willing to learn from a lowly baron, that is."

"I'd really appreciate that," Kristoff nodded gratefully. Then his eyes lit up, and Anders realized that Princess Anna must be coming up behind him. He ducked into the men's washroom. Anna was starting to get frustrated.

"The next time you get close to Baron Anders, could you knock him down and sit on him until I get there?" she demanded of Kristoff.

"Why would I want to do that? He was being nice to me," Kristoff objected. "Most of these nobles can't wait to shake my hand, say some nice things, and get back to their private little groups. At least Anders treats me like a person." She grunted and looked around for someone else she hadn't danced with.

Anders finally slipped up when he paused to compliment the Queen on her decorations. She engaged him in polite conversation, and kept him focused on her, right up to the moment when Anna grabbed his wrist from behind and cried, "Gotcha!" Elsa hid a giggle behind her hand as her sister led her prey out to the floor.

She expected him to be a terrible dancer; he actually was better than half of the men in the room. When she mentioned this to him, he replied, "My secret is, as long as I don't step on anybody's toes, most women think I'm a great dancer."

"You're better than you think you are," she commented, then demanded, "Why were you avoiding me?"

He looked embarrassed. "I saw that you were after me, and… I'm really not that comfortable dancing."

She recalled how he'd jumped when she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm starting to think you aren't comfortable with ladies in general."

"I certainly don't know much about them," he admitted.

"How come a nice guy like you isn't married yet?" she wondered.

"I guess I'm too noble for the common folks, and too common for the nobles," he shrugged. "I'm not good-looking or muscular, I don't have a fun personality, I don't have much rank, I don't have money… I don't know what women want in a man, but I'm pretty sure I haven't got it."

She grimaced. "With people skills like those, you and my sister would make quite a pair."

He shook his head vigorously. "Her and _me?_ As if _that_ would ever happen! There's no _way_ a lady like her…" His voice trailed off. The music ended, people clapped, and someone pulled Princess Anna aside to wish her the best. Anders returned to standing by the walls and nibbling on desserts, where he stayed for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, Kristoff and Anna boarded the ship that would take them on their honeymoon tour of northern Europe. Elsa was the last to bid them farewell and bon voyage. Anna could tell at a glance that her sister was upset.

"What's wrong, Elsa? Do you know something about honeymoons that I don't?"

"Anna... don't you remember what happened the last time someone I loved got onto a ship and sailed away?"

"Oh, Elsa, this isn't the same thing at all! It isn't even the storm season! _I_ wouldn't take a chance like that – you know me! We'll be fine. We'll be back in a month, I promise!" They hugged; then Anna joined her new husband on the deck of the ship. They waved to the assembled crowds as the lines were cast off.

Elsa stood on the docks and watched until the ship had sailed out of sight. Then she slowly returned to the palace, arms folded, head down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thawing Together** Chapter 3

The Nobles' Council of Arendelle normally met once a month, to advise Queen Elsa on matters of state. At this time, it consisted of one duke, a reigning duchess, three counts, and one baron. Princess Anna had a seat reserved for her, but seldom used it. She found matters of state to be about as exciting as geometry lessons, and attended Council meetings only when Elsa expected a rough session and needed her sister's steadying influence.

Kristoff was also allowed to attend. The Queen had styled him a viscount as soon as he'd gotten engaged, in order to legitimize his marriage to the Princess. His new rank of Prince had only taken effect after the Bishop had pronounced them man and wife, and would become official at a special ceremony after he'd returned from his honeymoon. In the meantime, even though he was officially a nobleman, he'd declined to attend any of the meetings. When Elsa asked why, he said he didn't think he had much to contribute, and he wasn't comfortable rubbing elbows with fancy people yet. "All those nobles know I'm just a jumped-up commoner, and I don't know how friendly they'll be." Anders thought he was probably right about that; the other nobles still treated _him_ like a jumped-up commoner, and he'd been a baron for four years now.

Of course, he'd never been a typical nobleman, just like his lands had never been typical. His Northeast Barony was just the unwanted leftovers of a much larger duchy that Arendelle had lost to a warlike neighbor four generations ago. The land was poor and unproductive; the people were similar. When he inherited the barony, the other nobles thought he and the land deserved each other. His first act as a new baron had shocked the nobles – he had slightly reduced his tax rate, which he thought was excessive. Then he set about talking to his people, to get ideas for making the barony more productive. He quickly decided that they knew a lot more about growing crops and raising herds in the rocky terrain and poor soil of the barony than he did. When they sullenly asked for his instructions, he astonished them by telling them to grow or raise whatever they thought best. The realm swiftly shifted away from the lucrative vegetables, angora goats, and beef cattle that former barons had preferred, toward more hardy products like cereal grains, sheep, and small dairy cattle. Those crops and livestock didn't bring in as much money individually, but the barony supported a lot more of them, and the overall harvest was somewhat more profitable. As a result, when asked about their baron, the people of Northeast would grudgingly admit that "for a noble, he's not so bad."

Then he'd gotten his first official summons to the capital, and had discovered a part of his new job that he'd never considered before: he now had direct access to the ruler of Arendelle. For the first three years, that meant the higher-ranking nobles who ruled until Princess Elsa was crowned queen. Now it meant he sat about eighteen feet away from the Queen herself, and could talk to her directly, if he could make his voice heard over the other nobles. That was the trick. Not only did the others have plenty to say; they had little interest in whatever the lowest-ranking noble at the table might be thinking, and thought nothing of talking right over him.

It was unusual for all six of the Council members to be present at once; they usually had to attend to their own lands and people, and couldn't always drop everything to rush to the capital unless it was scheduled well in advance, or unless it was a matter of great urgency. Today, they were all present because they were already in town for Anna and Kristoff's wedding. The Queen sat at the head of the table; the nobles lined the left side, arranged in order of rank; and Kai sat at the foot of the table, taking notes and speaking when spoken to. The right side of the table was reserved for Princess Anna, Prince Kristoff, and any visiting dignitaries who wished to address the Council. Today, the seats on the right side were empty.

This morning's meeting was mostly a formality, until Count Duku requested royal intervention with the fjord's harbormaster. "I've got a big ship from Bergen arriving this afternoon with a full load of hides for our leather-workers," he explained. "It's lying too deep in the water to tie up at the docks, so it will have to anchor in the fjord and unload with small boats. The harbormaster won't release enough boats to do the job before the next high tide, and that means the ship will have to spend a whole day and a night here, which is going to be expensive."

The Queen looked thoughtful. "Kai, do you know anything about this situation?"

Her major-domo looked up from his papers. "I took the Count's concerns to the harbormaster myself, Your Highness. He said he'd already promised most of his boats to other ship-owners for the day. If he broke his promise and committed them all to this ship, it would slow down the loading of half a dozen ships and throw the entire harbor off schedule."

"We're talking about a lot of money here, Your Majesty," Duku replied. "If you tell the harbormaster it's your wish that I get the boats, he'll have to do it."

Elsa nodded slowly. "I can see both sides of this problem. Can anyone think of a third way we might resolve this?"

After a few seconds of silence, Anders spoke. "A suggestion, Your Highness? If you were to freeze a path across the water from the shore to the ship, they could slide the cargo across the ice, and the ship would be unloaded almost as quickly as if she were at the docks."

"You cannot be _serious,_ Baron!" the Duchess of Potet burst out. "_Surely_ you're not suggesting that Her Majesty the Queen do the work of a _longshoreman?!_"

"No, of course not," Anders tried to answer. "I never meant to suggest that she –"

"The Duchess is right," the Duke of Erl added coldly. "Perhaps you are unaware, but there _is_ such a thing as royal dignity."

Elsa held up her hand for silence. "What do you think, Duku? Would it be beneath my dignity to help get your ship unloaded?"

The Count was conflicted; he had no love for the upstart Baron and his unconventional ideas, but he desperately wanted that ship to unload and sail with the next tide. "Uhh... ahh... I will have to consider the matter, Your Highness." Count Nelsen, who also stood to profit from the cargo of hides, was equally indecisive. Count Basi joined the duke and the duchess in opposing the whole idea.

"It wasn't a bad thought, Baron," the queen said kindly, "but maybe they're right about the 'dignity' thing. Kai, make a note – if I have time this afternoon, I might visit the docks and check out the situation." The discussion moved on, and the meeting ended almost on time.

Princess Anna had arranged for Anders to sleep in a guest room in the palace for the month, so he could be available to the Queen on short notice. He dined with Kai, Gerda, the captain of the guard, and other minor functionaries. That night at supper, everyone was talking about the selfless gesture that the Queen had made that afternoon. She had visited the docks and watched the stevedores struggling to unload a large ship onto a handful of small boats. Moved with compassion for them, she had frozen a path across the water from the shore to the ship, enabling the stevedores to slide the cargo across the ice. Those stevedores were thrilled, the ship's captain was pleased, the harbormaster was relieved, the nobleman who owned the cargo was delighted, and everyone thought their queen was wonderful for considering the struggles of even the humblest of her people. Anders went to bed slightly miffed that his idea had been rejected and then used anyway, but pleased that people thought well of the Queen as a result.

The next morning, Elsa caught him leaving the dining area. "Baron Anders, I... I wanted to thank you for your idea about the ice bridge in the harbor. It really was a good idea, once I put the right spin on it."

"I'm glad it worked out well for you, Your Highness," he replied quietly. "If the people think well of you, then I'm happy." She nodded, and they went their separate ways.

Both of them sensed that, in that hallway at that hour, an alliance had been formed. There were no treaties signed; there were no hands shaken or speeches made. But both of them recognized the other as someone who truly cared more about others than about themselves. He was an unconventional thinker; she was an unconventional queen. She could work with a man like that. For his part, he appreciated that she'd thanked him for his idea; it didn't matter to him if anyone else knew about it. His reverence for his Queen only increased.

Two days later, Elsa called a special meeting of the Council. The Duke of Erl and Count Duku had both gone home to attend to their own lands and people, leaving four noble advisors to help the Queen with whatever situation had just arisen.

"We have a visitor," she began without preamble. "My major-domo has informed me that a ship from the Kingdom of España has arrived, bearing a royal emissary, a princess named Urraca. What can you tell me about her and her kingdom?"

"España is an old and proud kingdom," Count Basi began. "They are quite a long ways away from us, and they are also quite a bit larger than us. Our relations with them have been infrequent, but mostly friendly. Our visitor will probably be a stickler for royal protocol."

"This Princess Urraca is second in line to the throne, after her brother," the Duchess of Potet added. "She is of equivalent rank to Princess Anna, and she will expect to be treated with all due honors and respect."

"There is one matter of possible concern," Count Nelsen said cautiously. "In España, they have a religious group called the Inquisition, which hunts for heresies and other undesirable beliefs, with the approval and backing of the Crown. They take a dim view of witchcraft and similar practices, and... well, Your Highness, if this Princess finds out about your special ability, it could cause problems."

"That figures," she said sadly. "I just used my power in the harbor three days ago, and the longshoremen are still talking about it. The only way she _won't_ hear about it is if she plugs her ears."

"She may know already, Your Highness," Kai cut in. "I have been informed that she refuses to leave the ship until she has been assured that Arendelle does not tolerate witchcraft."

That brought stunned silence. Anders finally blurted out, "That's unspeakably rude!"

"Who taught that princess her manners?" the Duchess agreed.

"She wants full honors, but _she_ has the audacity to make demands like _that?_" Count Nelsen was aghast.

Elsa held up her hands for silence. "This Princess of España has accomplished one good thing already – she has made this entire Council agree on something. The next question is, what should I do about it?"

"If she wants to stay on her ship, then leave her there," Count Basi snapped.

Baron Anders disagreed. "I don't think it's wise to snub a –"

"We can't do that; her rank is too high," the Duchess talked right over him. "Her Majesty should send a messenger and give the visiting princess the assurance that she wants."

"I gave her that assurance, Your Excellencies," Kai interjected. "She wants to hear it from someone who is noble-born."

That made the Council even angrier. "This is an insult!" "Does she think our Queen keeps liars for servants?" "This so-called princess has no manners at all!"

When the tumult had died down, Elsa asked, "Again – what should I do about this?"

Anders finally spoke. "Because I have the lowest rank, I have the least to lose by humbling myself. Since the rest of you are unwilling to soil your dainty fingers by dealing with this princess – and, quite frankly, I don't blame you – then, Your Highness, I volunteer to speak to the visitor."

"You, Baron, are _not_ noble-born," the Duchess said cuttingly.

"No, Your Excellency, I am _not_ noble-born, but this Princess of España doesn't know that. If Kai will accompany me to speak for the Queen, then I can end this absurd stand-off, and we can find out what our distinguished visitor wants to tell us. Your Highness, what is your wish?"

The Queen thought for a few seconds. Anders thought he saw some of the early signs of stress that Anna had warned him about, but Elsa hadn't yet reached the crisis stage where he'd have to intervene. Finally, she rose. "Baron Anders, take my major-domo with you and reassure our guest that there are no witches in my kingdom. Ensure that she receives all appropriate honors and hospitality. Kai, report to me as soon as the situation is clear. This meeting is adjourned until our guest is ready to address us, which will probably be some time after lunch." The others waited until she left the meeting room before they rose.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thawing Together** Chapter 4

"Yes, Kai?" Elsa noted that her faithful servant had waited until she'd finished her lunch before trying to get her attention.

"Baron Anders and I have returned from the harbor, Your Highness," Kai answered. "The Princess Urraca's suspicions about witchcraft have been allayed, for now, and she wishes to speak to you and the Council."

"Allayed for now? What does that mean?"

"Your Highness, the Baron did a very diplomatic job of convincing our visitor that there are no witches, warlocks, wizards, or anyone else of that kind in Arendelle, but she still seems to have doubts. She is young and full of her own ideas. I suspect that this Council session will be... shall I say... a stressful one."

Elsa nodded; she got the message. "Please notify the Council and the visiting princess that we will meet at one-thirty. Was there anything else?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Kai leaned over so he couldn't be overheard by the other servants as they cleaned up the lunch table, and spoke very quietly. "I have overheard several high-ranking members of the Council referring to Baron Anders as 'the queen's lap dog.' I thought that was the sort of thing you would want to know about."

"Yes, and thank you, Kai. You have done well. You're dismissed for now; get yourself some lunch. I will see you in Council." Her major-domo nodded and left.

So the noble-born members of the Council were going to punish Anders for faithfully serving her, were they? Perhaps she should have seen that coming. She knew how rank-conscious the dukes and counts were. There wasn't much she could do about that; Anders might have to ride this storm out himself. But she could certainly make it clear where her own loyalties lay. If this Council session was likely to be unpleasant, then that was just another good reason to do what she was about to do.

All four nobles were in the meeting room when she arrived. They all stood and waited for her to take her seat before they sat down again.

"Your Highness, your major-domo left a message for you," the Duchess of Potet said. "He has gone to fetch the Princess of España and will bring her here as soon as he finds her."

"So she wandered off and told no one where she was going, did she?" The Queen steepled her fingers. This princess was doing everything to make life difficult for all of them. Elsa definitely needed back-up. It was time. "Baron Anders, please take the seat to my right."

The Duchess was the first to react. "Your Highness, this is _most_ irregular! As the ranking member of this present Council, _I_ should receive preference if the seating arrangements are being changed!" The two counts were about to jump in with similar objections (which would have improved their own seating locations as well) when she held up her hand for silence.

"This is temporary. It pleases me to seat him here for this particular meeting. That is all." As far as she was concerned, that was the end of the discussion. There were very few advantages to being queen, to her way of thinking, but the ability to cut off disagreement with a word was one of them.

Anders felt hostile eyes on him as he rose from his usual seat near the end of the table, and walked to the most honored place at the queen's right hand. He suspected he knew the reason – this visiting princess was probably going to severely stress the Queen – but he also knew he had a bull's-eye on his back now. The higher-ranking nobles wouldn't hesitate to punish him in any way they could.

They waited in silence for Kai to return with the princess. It took the pair over half an hour to arrive. Kai offered no explanations; he simply held the door open and announced, "Presenting Her Excellency, Princess Urraca of España." A young woman about Anna's age strode in and surveyed the room. She seemed disappointed that the seats of honor were already taken, so she took the best place that remained – right next to Baron Anders.

Princess Urraca was a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty. It was easy to imagine kings sending their kingdoms to war over the privilege of courting this girl. She wore some kind of spicy fragrance that Anders had never smelled before, and she sat a bit closer to him than he expected. He already knew what she looked like, after meeting her on her ship and persuading her that nothing evil lurked in Arendelle, but he hadn't expected to find her sitting so close to him. He squirmed uncomfortably. She noticed that, and smiled at him, which made him even more nervous. Kai introduced the Queen and the other nobles, and they all waited to hear what this princess had to say.

"I thank you for the kind greeting you have offered me, and for your hospitality," she began in a cultured voice. She was speaking French, the language of diplomacy, with a very slight accent. Anders' knowledge of French was deficient; he missed about one word out of three, and had to guess at her meaning based on the words he did understand. "I have been sent by my father, King Candio III of España. He desires closer relations with other righteous kingdoms everywhere. He wishes to honor your small but charming realm with an exchange of ambassadors and, perhaps, a trade agreement. If you are willing to discuss this, I am authorized to negotiate with the full authority of the crown."

Elsa's eyes narrowed, very slightly. The Princess of España's game was absurdly obvious, but it was probably quite effective as well. Most sovereigns were male, and it would take a rare man not to be swayed by the Princess' charms. With a wink and a wiggle, she could probably get past the defenses of even the wiliest negotiator, and get very advantageous terms for España in any treaty she cared to sign. If Anders's reaction was typical, the average man would give away the store if she asked him to.

But this Princess would also know that her game wouldn't work on a Queen Regnant. What kind of tactics would she employ against Elsa? She seemed to be trying to influence Anders. Perhaps she had decided, based on his seat, that Anders was the Queen's favorite, and hoped to gain an edge that way. But she'd also thrown in that insult about her "small but charming realm." Elsa doubted that this was a mistake; the Princess' speech was too polished for that. What kind of game was she playing?

"Arendelle welcomes you, Your Excellency," she began. "Your presence honors us, as does your father the King's willingness to treat with us. We are quite willing to begin negotiating such matters. Is there anything else you require before we begin?"

"Yes, there is one thing," the princess smiled. "I require each of you to swear, on a Bible, that no one practices dark arts or other evil powers in your kingdom." She smiled sweetly at the Queen. "Especially the one they call the Bringer of Summer, whoever that might be."

The members of the Nobles' Council were too well-bred to gasp in astonishment, but they all had to fight to restrain themselves. This was an insult of the first order! Their guest had already been assured (by a nobleman, no less) that Arendelle did not tolerate witches; now she was requiring an oath from all of them? She was calling Anders a liar, and showing distrust for all of them, from the Queen on down.

"It was my understanding," Count Basi said tightly, "that your concerns in this matter had been allayed by a duly designated messenger of the Queen."

"It is our custom to be completely certain on such an important matter," the Princess smiled. "If you have nothing to hide, then there could be no objection to such a simple request, could there?"

Anders tore his eyes away from the Princess to glance at his Queen. Elsa was gripping the edges of the table tightly, visibly trying to keep control of herself. Then she suddenly folded her arms and drooped her head, a sure sign of danger. It was time for him to show that Anna had chosen him wisely.

"This is an unusual request for us," he burst out as he stood, "and it calls for royal deliberation." He gestured toward the door. "Your Highness, if you please?" He held her chair as she stood stiffly, and followed close behind her as she strode for the door. Kai held it open for them, and closed it quickly behind them as they stepped into the hallway outside.

"Let it go, Your Highness!" he urged her. "Straight down the hall. No one is looking."

For a moment, she hesitated. Snow began falling around them. Then, with a cry, she flung both hands out in front of her. A visible shaft of cold air shot out from her fingers and raced down the hall. It crashed into the wall at the end and covered it in ice, with a thick coating of icicles sticking out. The wall suddenly looked like the flank of a huge white hedgehog.

Elsa was quivering with rage; the snow was still falling around her. "The _nerve_ of that princess!" she finally exclaimed. "Does she think she's dealing with some broken-down duchy in the Papal States? This is _Arendelle!_ The Romans conquered España, the Moors conquered España, but we've always been free! Who does she think she _is,_ making demands like that of _us?_"

"She is definitely trying to provoke us," Anders nodded. "I think she might be trying to provoke you in particular, Your Highness. She knows your popular nickname, she may have heard rumors about your power, and I think she's trying to maneuver you into showing what you can do."

"But why?" Elsa wondered. "It's not a state secret; everyone in Arendelle knows about me. What could her goal be?"

"Not everyone in Europe knows about you, Your Highness," Anders thought out loud as he brushed some snow off his shoulders. "She might be trying to stir up fear among our neighbors. If España has secret treaties with them, they all would benefit from a local war against us. Or it might be a pretext for a holy war, which would end with your line being wiped out and replaced with a prince or princess from España. They could extend their influence into this part of the world, and stamp out what they see as a great evil, all at once."

"A great evil." Elsa hung her head. "Is this all because of me?" she asked sadly.

"No!" Anders exclaimed, and rested a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away, startled. "I'm sorry, Your Highness – I didn't mean to be so forward," he blurted out. "But this isn't about you. It's about narrow-minded little people who fear whatever they don't understand. I will _not _let you take the blame for _that,_ if I have anything to say about it!"

She looked at him, surprised. The snowfall slackened slightly, then tapered off to nothing. "You're right," she nodded with a hint of a smile. "Thank you, Baron. I needed to hear that. So... what do you suggest?"

"If I were you, I'd get the Council's opinion," Anders began, "but my thought is that we've gotten along just fine without an ambassador to España for centuries. Their princess is just piling insult on top of insult. If this visit is typical of how they'll treat us in the future, then we might be better off _without_ their friendship. They're setting the price for this deal, and it's far too high."

Elsa nodded. "Again, thank you, Baron. That sounds wise. Shall we return to the Council room?"

"There's one more thing, Your Highness," he said urgently. "I'm certain that this princess isn't done trying to provoke you. Be on your guard, and let the Council members handle her as much as possible. The Duchess might be especially useful today, for obvious reasons."

The Queen smiled. "I like how you think on your feet, Baron."

"I live to serve you, Your Highness," he nodded. "But one question, if you don't mind? You seem to know quite a bit about España. Why did you ask the Council to tell you about them if you already knew?"

"While you were trying to appease her paranoia on the docks, I did some homework in the palace library," she smiled. "Knowing is half the battle. But it's good to make the nobles feel useful. No offense intended, Baron."

"None taken, Your Highness," he nodded, and held the door open for her. After she stepped into the room, he motioned for Kai to join him in the hall.

"Please make arrangements for that wall to be defrosted and dried, quickly," he instructed the major-domo. "It would not be good if the Princess of España saw it that way."

"Yes, Your Excellency. I'll see to it at once." Kai bustled off down the hall. Anders returned to the council room and took his seat. The Princess awarded him a fetching smile, which he did his best to ignore. She might have been one of the most beautiful ladies he'd ever laid eyes on, but she no longer appealed to him. It was hard to feel attracted to a woman who was a threat to his Queen.

Apparently, Elsa had managed to whisper something to the Duchess when she re-entered the room. That redoubtable infighter took the lead in the discussion that followed, and it was clear that Princess Urraca of España had met her match. Her great beauty meant nothing to the Duchess, and the Duchess was far more experienced in negotiations and political maneuvering. Elsa just folded her hands and watched the two of them go back and forth, until Princess Urraca threw up her hands in exasperation.

"If this is how little you value our friendship, then you need not have it!" she snapped. "Perhaps one of your neighbors will welcome a treaty with one of the oldest, noblest kingdoms in Europe! We offered you prestige, honor, wealth from trade – we could have made you a millionaire!"

"Is that your final answer?" Elsa asked calmly.

"Your kingdom will surely suffer for your stubbornness!" Princess Urraca almost shouted as she stood up. "Someone show me the way back to my ship! Now!"

Kai had not returned yet, so Anders rose. "May I escort you back to your ship, Your Excellency?"

She nearly snapped, "No!" but her eyes narrowed. "Yes, Baron, you may." She allowed him to open the door for her, then preceded him down the hall (which, thankfully, was clear and dry).

As they stepped through the main gates, she turned to him with a smile. "How is it that someone so bright and competent as yourself is only a baron? A much higher rank would suit you better."

"I am content with my position, Your Excellency," he replied.

"My father, the King, can reward his faithful servants," she said suggestively. "If you were willing to look out for his interests as well as your own, you might find yourself elevated to a Duke." She batted her eyes. "Or even a Prince."

"That's a tempting offer, Your Excellency," he smiled. "But you're trying to bribe the wrong man. I love my Queen and serve her faithfully."

"Take me to my ship," she snapped, her smile gone. He guided her to the docks. She ignored all protocol and politeness as she turned her back on him, stormed up the gangway, and ordered her captain to take her away from this petty postage-stamp kingdom as quickly as possible.

Anders wasn't a bit sorry to see her go. He'd never thought for a moment that her flirtations were sincere. She was just one more pretty girl who had no use for him, just like all the others. At least when the Queen smiled and thanked him for something, he knew she really meant it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thawing Together** Chapter 5

The next few days were uneventful. Queen Elsa had no need for additional sessions of the Council, so the other nobles went home to attend to their lands. Elsa told Anders he could do likewise.

"There's no need for my day-to-day involvement there at this time of year; my farmers know how to farm, and my herders know how to herd," he replied. "I've left my chief steward in charge for the month, just in case, so I can stay here."

"There's no reason for you to stay," she said. She was definitely glad for his involvement when things got stressful, but at other times, he was just a bit too intense for her liking.

"Your Highness, Princess Anna gave me some very serious instructions," he answered. "I'd hate to be out of reach if a situation came up suddenly. Unless you _order_ me to leave, I'd rather stay." She shrugged. He stayed. For the most part, he stayed out of sight. She finally got curious – what was he doing with himself all day? She asked him after a few days.

"I wander around," he answered. "Sometimes I go down to the docks and chat with the ships' captains, to find out if they've heard any interesting stories in other ports that might interest us. Sometimes I visit the markets, to see what the prices for our commodities are, what we have plenty of and what we need more of. There are all kinds of things that a man with curiosity can do to keep busy. The idea is to learn as much as I can about what's going on in the capital, so I can take that back to my own lands and use it for my people's advantage."

"It's odd that I never see you around the town," she commented.

"I usually wear my work clothes," he said. "I try to blend in with everyone else. People are a lot more willing to talk to me if they don't think I'm some kind of fancy nobility."

"Baron… I think I'm inviting you to join me for lunch today. I want to know where you got such a casual attitude toward being a nobleman."

Anders wasn't expecting that. "Uhh… uhh… I accept, of course. Thank you!" He walked away shaking his head, feeling a little dazed.

When she arrived in the informal dining room at lunch time, she found him standing awkwardly against the wall. "I'm not sure which seat I'm supposed to take," he said embarrassedly.

"That one is fine," she said, gesturing at the chair on her right hand. "Anders, may I ask something of you? Can you try to relax a little?"

He sat down, and visibly slumped in the chair. "I can do that," he said, "but I'm never sure if I'm _supposed_ to do it."

"What are you so nervous about?" she wondered.

"Well, this isn't the first time I've dined with the queen, but it's the first time I've ever dined with _just_ the queen."

She waited until the servants had set down the first course, then turned to him. "Anders, will you tell me your story? I'd like to know how you adjusted to nobility. You don't act like anyone else in the Council, and I'm curious why that's so."

He finished chewing his bite of salad. "Well, Your Highness –"

"Anders, for now, please call me Elsa. This is a very informal occasion."

"I realize that, Your High – I mean... Elsa… but you're still my queen and I'm still your subject. I don't think I should get too familiar, or I might call you by name in a Council meeting, and that wouldn't end well."

Elsa sighed. "I can see I'm going to have to take drastic measures to get you to relax." She clapped her hands three times. Anders thought she was summoning a servant. He thought wrong.

Into the dining room bounded a three-foot-tall snowman with a happy expression and a serious overbite. Olaf was a common sight in town, but somehow Anders had never met him. He nearly dropped his fork at the sight of him.

"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs. By the way, if you drop that fork, don't call 'five-second rule' and pick it up – they run a ritzy place around here. Have we met?"

"Uhh… no, I'm Anders and, umm, I'm pleased to meet you… Olaf?"

"Yup, that's me, and I like warm… oh, I already said that. Ooh, is that a salad? If I ate food, I'd love salads, especially the iceberg lettuce."

"You're quite the joker," Anders commented.

"Why so serious?" the snowman shot back. "You look like your cheeks would break if you smiled. Did Elsa kiss you and freeze your face or something?"

Anders turned crimson and spun away from the Queen. She looked mildly embarrassed, but nothing like he did. "Olaf, why don't you pull up a chair? Anders was about to tell us his story."

"Ooh! I love stories! Does it have a happy ending?" Olaf wondered as he hopped into the chair on her left.

"Well… it's not over yet, so I don't know," he mumbled, his face still bright red.

"Why do the other nobles constantly say that you weren't noble-born?" she asked.

"It's because I _wasn't_ noble-born, unlike them." He turned to face her out of politeness, even though his face still felt warm. "I was just a wool trader, carrying on my family's business, until my uncle died with no children and left his barony to my father. Then… my father died less than a month later, from the same fever that took my uncle. They knocked on my door and told me I was the baron now. Just like that, I had to learn how to take care of one little village, a dozen or so small farms, an assortment of herdsmen, and a scattering of traveling entertainers, tinkers, and mountain men. All of them had very independent spirits, and none of them liked the nobility very much."

"Wow," Olaf sniffled. "No wonder you don't smile."

"So who taught you how to be a noble?" Elsa asked.

"No one, really. I watched how the other nobles acted, and I realized I'd never be one of them, but I had to act the part somehow. I learned the basics of court etiquette, and I learned the kinds of games they played against each other, mostly for self-defense – I'd never play those games myself."

"I like games," the snowman chimed in.

"Not this kind of game," Anders said, almost kindly. "They play these games to hurt people. Those nobles will do anything to make each other look bad – they think it makes themselves look better. Any insult, any unkind little comment they can think of, is fair game. They like doing it to me best of all because I can't fight back, but they don't understand – they can't knock me down because I'm already at the bottom."

"You don't really like the nobles very much, do you?" the Queen commented.

"Let's just say I've made no friends in the Council, even though I've been there for almost four years," the baron replied. "For what it's worth, they don't laugh much either, and if they smile, that's a warning to watch my back."

"Did you ever smile before you were a noble-guy?" Olaf asked.

"All the time," he replied. "But the things I think are funny wouldn't be very amusing to a real nobleman. I still haven't figured out what's supposed to be funny to a nobleman, if anything. My old friends who liked the stories I used to tell… I don't see them very much. They've pulled away from me because I'm not one of 'them' anymore. I'm kind of caught in the middle, where nothing is fun and nothing is funny."

"Try me," said the Queen. "Tell me one of those stories you used to tell."

"I don't think you'd appreciate that kind of humor, Your Highness. I mean Elsa. Those stories were mostly about how ridiculous the nobility can be."

"Try me," she said again.

"Okay… my father swore up and down that this really happened to him. He was visiting a friend who had a small herd of cattle when a nobleman's wife rode by in her carriage. She told her coachman to stop so she could look at the herd, and said, 'That's an odd-looking cow over there! Why doesn't it have any horns?'

"The herdsman said, 'Your Excellency, there are many reasons why a cow would not have horns. Some breeds are bred to be hornless. Some cows are born without horns. Some cows are dehorned. _That_ cow does not have horns because it is a horse.' "

Both Elsa and Olaf laughed out loud. Olaf laughed longer and harder, but Anders much preferred Elsa's laughter. It might be the most musical sound he'd ever heard, he decided.

He spent the rest of the meal entertaining the Queen and her little friend with the irreverent stories of his youth. To his surprise, Elsa never once scowled or said, "We are not amused." She seemed to have a perfectly normal sense of humor. He was able to join in the laughter as well, especially when they'd heard a suspicious titter from behind them, and turned to find that several of the servants were standing in the doorway, listening to his stories and enjoying them a bit more than might be proper. They scattered quickly and returned to work with smiles on their faces.

As Anders left the dining room, Gerda motioned that she wanted to speak to him privately. "I wasn't eavesdropping on your conversation, Your Excellency" she said, "but whatever you were saying, I wanted to thank you for saying it. I haven't heard Queen Elsa laugh that much in a very long time. I think it's long overdue. Even if you _did_ encourage some of the servants to neglect their work to listen in!"

"I'll try not to let that happen again, Gerda," he promised.

As he left the palace for the afternoon, he was wearing a smile, too. It felt good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thawing Together** Chapter 6

Four mornings later, Anders was awakened by a polite tapping on the door. It was Kai.

"I'm sorry to wake you, sir, but the Queen requests your presence in the dining room as quickly as possible. I think it's important, sir."

"Thank you, Kai," Anders yawned. He had never been a morning person and he never would be. He quickly freshened up, put on his work clothes, smacked himself in the head, took off the work clothes and donned one of his suits instead, and made his way to the dining room. Elsa was waiting for him; apparently she'd finished her breakfast a few minutes ago.

"I'm glad you're here," she began. "I've sent out messengers to the other nobles, but I have a feeling most of them won't be able to come. A soldier from the Kingdom of Stavanger has arrived on horseback, and he says he has a message of great importance for me. He won't tell me anything more. I have a feeling I'm going to need advice."

By eleven o'clock, the messengers had returned. All but one said their designated noble could not attend a meeting that day. The one exception, the Duke of Erl, would arrive within the hour. His coach pulled into the palace courtyard just after lunch. The Queen gave him some time to freshen up after the journey and grab a bite to eat before summoning the Council of Nobles (both of them) to an emergency meeting.

The soldier stood at parade-rest near the foot of the table. "I am Major Harstad, commander of the King of Stavanger's First Infantry Battalion, and I bear a message for Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

"I am Queen Elsa. Please proceed," she said.

He pulled a folded note out of the breast pocket of his uniform. "My lord, the King of Stavanger, demands the right of free passage for his ships through Arendelle's waters. If you refuse, the consequences will be less than pleasant for you." He re-folded the paper. "That is all. What is your answer?"

Anders and the Duke both looked to the Queen. After a few seconds, she said, "This calls for deliberation, of course."

"My orders are to get your answer and leave for Stavanger before sunset," the soldier said stiffly. "Delay will not improve your situation."

"Are you threatening –" the Duke began, but Elsa waved him to silence.

"Our deliberations will not take long," she said. "Kai, see to the Major's comfort. Major Harstad, we will give you our answer within the hour." The soldier and the major-domo left the meeting room together.

"Obviously, we need to give them what they want," the Duke burst out as soon as the door closed. "Stavanger is a much bigger kingdom than we are, they're not afraid of war, and it sounds like they're preparing for it."

"Don't their ships already have freedom of passage?" the Queen wondered.

"Their trading ships do. All merchant ships have freedom of the seas," the Duke nodded. "This must be about warships, or ships full of soldiers."

"None of which are aimed at us," Anders added.

"You don't dare assume that!" the Duke shot back. "You heard his threat! If we don't give them what they want, it means war."

"Stop and think for a moment, Your Excellency," the Baron replied evenly. "If they wanted to attack us, they wouldn't ask for freedom of passage. They'd just present us with an impossible list of demands, and if we didn't give them everything they wanted, they'd strike. They must want freedom of passage so they can attack someone else, and they want to take a shortcut through our waters. Does Stavanger have any enemies to the east of us?"

"Yes, of course," the Duke answered. "They have a long-standing feud with Glauerhafen; every few years, they start looking for an excuse to go to war against them. I'm surprised you don't know that."

"So you think Stavanger wants war with Glauerhafen," Elsa cut in, "and they just want us to stand aside and let them use our waters as an invasion route?"

"We couldn't stop them if we wanted to, Your Highness," the Duke replied. "We have no military force except for the palace guard and the three armed sloops of the coast guard; it would take a week to raise a militia. Stavanger's First Infantry is probably their _only_ infantry, but they're a professional fighting force. We can't oppose them."

"The Duke is completely correct," Anders nodded. "But if Stavanger tried to fight Glauerhafen _and_ Arendelle at the same time, could they win?"

"Probably not," the Duke admitted after thinking for a few seconds. "If they did win, it would be very costly to them."

"That means Stavanger doesn't want to fight us; they just want us to stay neutral," Anders nodded. "I agree that we'll have to give them free passage. But rather than just yield and give them what they want, why not try to gain a little advantage from this situation?"

"What are you suggesting?" the Queen wondered.

"I suggest that, instead of just saying, 'yes, here's your free passage,' we ought to ask for something in return. Something like... Stavanger should open their markets up to us for trade."

"If we start making demands, they'll give us those 'less than pleasant consequences' for sure," the Duke growled. "Stavanger doesn't let any other nation trade inside their borders; they're infamous for that."

"Then we won't ask for much," Anders said. "Just their wool markets. We don't want to provoke any hostilities, but this is too good a chance to pass up. If they really want to avoid war with us, they may be willing to give a little. Your duchy could benefit from another market for wool, couldn't it, Duke?"

The Duke considered that. The answer was obvious – his lands held plenty of sheep, and his people could always use more markets to sell their goods. He just didn't want to admit that this upstart Baron had come up with a better idea than his own. "I think it's a bad idea, Baron."

"Do you really think Stavanger will let us trade inside their borders?" the Queen asked Anders.

"If they're preparing for war, then they'll need plenty of uniforms for their soldiers," Anders answered readily. "That means they'll need lots of wool. It could be a golden opportunity for us."

"But if you've guessed wrong, they might attack us," she replied.

"It's unlikely, but yes, Your Highness, it is possible," he admitted.

"Hmmm." Elsa folded her hands and thought for a few seconds. "We will tell this Major to bring a message back to his king. In exchange for free passage for Stavanger's ships, Arendelle requests that Stavanger open its wool markets to our traders. Should we say anything else?"

"No, Your Highness." "No, Your Highness." It was agreed.

Later that afternoon, Baron Anders sent a messenger back to his chief steward. "Tell all our herdsmen to consider shearing their flocks a bit early. A lucrative opportunity to sell the wool might arrive within days." Some people might have called this "insider trading," but to the Baron, it just made sense. It hurt no one, the benefit to him would be small, and it might be very good for the people of his barony.

Three days later, Stavanger sent their answer. They were willing to open their wool markets to Arendelle for one week, starting three days from now.

"I think we should accept their offer," Anders told the Queen. "It's better than nothing, and if we try to negotiate for more, we risk getting nothing, or even starting our own little war."

"I completely agree," the Duke admitted. He sent out his own messengers to his lands, suggesting that an early shearing might pay off well. The other nobles heard about these dealings by word of mouth, and their own early shearings got off to a late start. When the first trading ship left Arendelle for Stavanger, it mostly carried wool from Anders' barony, with a few bales from the Duke of Erl's lands. That shipload made an enormous profit, even after the Queen and the Baron had taken out their portions in taxes. Subsequent shiploads from Arendelle's other lands also did well, but not as well as that first trip.

Baron Anders was suddenly viewed as something like a hero to his own people. The Queen thanked him quietly but sincerely. The Duke of Erl wasn't sure what to think of him – the baron's ideas had certainly made him and his duchy richer, but it galled him that this jumped-up commoner was suddenly calling all the shots in the Council. What good was it to be the highest-ranking nobleman in the kingdom if the Queen was only listening to her lap dog?

He visited Potet to speak privately with the Duchess. She agreed that something had to be done. After the Duke left, she called for a trusted servant whom she kept on the payroll for times like these.

"I want you to wander around the Northeast Barony and ask some discreet questions," she instructed him. "I want you to find out something about Baron Anders that he'd like to keep quiet. A girl, a drunken episode, a mishandling of money... it doesn't matter to me, as long as we can prove it, or at least make it seem plausible. Any questions?"

"None, Your Excellency," the man purred. The Duchess smiled. If Anders had any secrets, her "associate" would find them. The Baron's influence in the Council was about to hit bottom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thawing Together** Chapter 7

The queen called for her monthly Council meeting a few days early. Kristoff and Anna were due back tomorrow, and she didn't want to cut their welcome-home celebration short for the sake of a meeting. She also didn't want the newlyweds to feel like they had to attend that meeting when they surely had better things to do with their time. The Queen, her six nobles, and her major-domo gathered in the meeting room to discuss the state of the kingdom.

"Things are looking good in Erl, Your Highness," the Duke reported. "The traders are getting good value for our goods, the people are happy, and they are giving you much of the credit."

"Thank you, Duke," she smiled graciously. "Duchess?"

"Potet is also prospering, Your Highness," the Duchess said. "However, I do have a special report I wish to bring before the Council. If I may?"

"Perhaps it should wait until after the other nobles have given their regular reports," the Queen said.

"Yes, Your Highness," the Duchess replied tightly. The three counts and the one baron all reported no problems; everything was going smoothly in the kingdom.

"Now, Duchess... your special report?" Elsa smiled.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The Duchess unrolled a small scroll. "It grieves me to bring this information and make it public, but it is necessary because it involves a member of this Council." She took a deep breath. "I have been informed by reliable sources that a certain baron of this realm has been accused of cheating one of his people in a wool deal, and that he has done nothing to make this matter right."

"Is that true, Baron?" Count Basi actually sounded surprised.

Anders was nonplussed for a moment before his brain kicked in. "Where is my accuser?" he asked.

"He could not be here; he had to attend to his herds," the Duchess explained.

"What is his name?" Anders demanded.

"His name is Steinar Brevik."

Anders snorted and waved his hand. "If you believe Steinar, he has _never _been part of a fair deal! He even brought his own brother up on charges before the burgomeister a year ago. The burgomeister cleared the brother of all wrongdoing, just like everyone else whom Steinar has falsely accused. My dealings with him were fair, and I can probably find the paperwork to prove it; he just cried 'foul' when he saw how much I gained by reselling his wool. That accusation is totally false."

"What about the promise of marriage you made to a girl named Marte, and then broke that promise?" the Duchess demanded.

"Marte, the butcher's daughter?" Anders shook his head disgustedly. "We went on a hayride when we were both fifteen, along with a bunch of other teens. I told her I'd like to see her again. She avoided me from that day forward, until after I'd received the barony. Then, suddenly, she remembered the hayride and started telling everyone I'd proposed to her! I could probably find witnesses to that hayride if I had to."

"Perhaps you should do that," the Duke said reasonably. "It appears that your character as a nobleman is in question, and that is a serious matter indeed. I would suggest that you take a rest from all these Council meetings that you have been attending, and use your time to try and prove your innocence in these matters. Once you have cleared your name, assuming you are able to do so, you could return to your place."

"_What?_ This is outrageous!" Anders exclaimed. "Are you putting me out of the Council without a trial, based on one person's accusations?"

"Are you challenging my truthfulness, Baron?" the Duchess threatened.

"I do not challenge your truthfulness, but I will certainly challenge your facts!" the Baron shot back. He turned to the Queen. "Your Highness, has there ever..."

His voice trailed off. Elsa was on the verge of an explosion; couldn't they see it? "Your Highness, I think it's time to take a break."

"Her Highness is obviously upset to hear what kind of a man you really are," the Duke said snidely. "Perhaps she would calm down if you would remove yourself from –"

"_Enough!_" Elsa shouted, leaping to her feet, glaring at the Duke and Duchess. "Who do you think you are, to turn my Council meeting into a character assassination?! If you have charges, bring them up in court! If you have gossip, save it for your servant girls! But this slander in my presence will stop, _now!_"

"Your Highness," the Duchess protested, waving her scroll, "I assure you that these accusations are –"

"_I said, __enough__!_" A blast of pure cold shot out of the Queen's hand, snatched the scroll from the Duchess' fingers, and slapped it against the wall, where it was cemented in place by a thick mass of ice.

Everyone stared in silent shock. The baron and the major-domo were thinking, "They pushed her too far;" the others were thinking, "She's lost control." The five senior nobles each prepared to run for the exit as soon as someone else led the way.

The only one who moved was Anders, who took the position Anna had taught him, just behind the Queen, with his hands on her shoulder and her arm. She didn't pull away. He whispered the happiest thoughts he could think of – "Anna will be back tomorrow. Your sister will be back tomorrow. Things will be better." She was quivering. A few stray snowflakes fell around her, but they quickly faded away.

"Mind your place, Baron," the Duke quavered. "Unhand the Queen." The others glared at Anders resentfully, distracted for a moment from their fear of what they'd just seen.

"I think you all should go," Elsa said in a quiet, scared voice. Five nobles rushed to obey her suggestion; they didn't even wait for Kai to open the door for them. Once they were gone, she looked back at Anders. "Baron, thank you… but you can let go now."

He pulled his hands back, abashed. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm far too forward, I know, but I just..."

"You just wanted to help," she said, finishing his sentence. "I appreciate that." She stared at the ice on the wall, then at her hands. "I just want to run away," she said shakily.

"You tried that once, Your Highness," Anders said quietly. "I wish I could have seen the palace you made, but in the long run, it didn't work. Maybe it's time to try something different."

"Like what?" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "When other people lose their temper, they pound on a table and scream. When I lose it, I kill people."

"You didn't kill anyone," he tried to reassure her. "That shot might have _scared_ the Duchess half to death, but it was perfectly aimed. You can't convince me you were out of control."

"You don't know," she replied sadly. "Tell me honestly – is there any truth in those things they said about you?"

"Not a word of it, Your Highness," he said firmly. "My life is so boring, I could never have gotten into any interesting troubles like those. Someone must have been trolling my barony for rumors."

She nodded, then stared at her hands. "What am I going to do?" she whispered. "They'll all be afraid of me from now on."

"The next time you say, 'That's enough,' maybe they'll listen," he suggested. "Are you going to be all right?"

She shook her head, but it was in disbelief. "They were trying to slander you and put you out of the Council, and all you can think about is me?"

He shrugged. "That's how I think. I'm worried about you, Your Highness – you're obviously shaken up."

She took a deep breath. "I'll be all right. Thank you. Please tell the other nobles I won't be joining them in the dining room for lunch. I need to… catch my breath."

"I may have to send a messenger, Your Highness," he replied grimly. "I don't think _I_ want to join them, either." He held the door for her as she left, and followed a few steps behind her, being careful not to step on her lacy ice-cape.

Kai stayed in the room for a few seconds longer; they had pretty much forgotten he was there. _Both of them were more worried about each other than about themselves,_ he thought. _I think Princess Anna will find that very interesting_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thawing Together** Chapter 8

The banners were hanging from the flagpoles, the town's band was tuned and ready, and a small crowd was waiting on the docks to welcome Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff home from their honeymoon. No one knew exactly when they'd arrive, of course. Sailing ships moved with the wind, which was unpredictable and usually uncooperative. Sailing schedules were more guesses than predictions, and a delay of several hours meant nothing at all. Today, the wind was almost nonexistent, so no one expected the ship to be on time.

But when the sun began to set, and the ship still had not arrived, a few people worried a little. Queen Elsa was not one of those people. Queen Elsa was close to full-blown panic.

She retreated to her chambers once the sun had set, refusing to eat or socialize. Anders had made arrangements to return home, now that the Queen would no longer be needing him; but as he prepared to board the coach that would take him and his luggage back to the barony, Kai rushed over and caught him by the sleeve. Most nobles would have been furious at such an intrusion, but Anders had never seen Kai looking so perturbed.

"Your Excellency, I know you're headed for home, but before you go, is there anything you can do for the Queen?"

"What's wrong with the Queen?" he burst out.

Kai lowered his voice so the other servants could not hear him. "When she was seventeen, her parents boarded a ship for a two-week journey. They never returned; their ship was lost in a storm. I fear that Queen Elsa is convinced that the same thing has happened to the Princess and the Prince." He gestured toward the palace. A small but vicious-looking storm cloud was forming over the roof in the vicinity of the Queen's chambers. "It's not my place to pry, sir, but I know you've been trying to help Her Highness with her special issues, and… if there is anything you can do… please, sir."

"I'll see what I can do," he said. He called to the coachman, "Remove my luggage and go on without me. I have a feeling I'll be staying here for another night." A servant hurried to remove his bags from the coach's storage area. Anders didn't wait to watch the outcome; he headed for the gates at a dead run.

He raced up the grand staircase, two steps at a time, thankful that there weren't any other nobles around to comment on his lack of dignity. He looked up and down the long hallway. He didn't know which door led to the royal chambers, but the answer turned out to be obvious. One door was covered in a sheet of ice, with frost crystals on the door handle. He knocked. "Your Highness?" He got no answer.

He knocked again. "Queen Elsa?" Still no answer.

"Your Highness, I know you're in there, and I know you're unhappy. Please, I… I implore you, let me in and let me help!"

He put his ear to the door. Over the sound of a howling wind, he barely heard the words, "Please go away, whoever you are!"

He turned away reluctantly. Then he stopped and turned back to the door. "Your Highness… Elsa… you can't convince me that you really want to be alone! And I don't _care _if I'm being too forward!" He rested his hand on the door handle and pushed. It didn't move; it was frozen shut. He leaned on it until it broke free, and the door opened.

He felt like he had stepped into a tornado. The wind inside the room was so strong, he had to lean into it; it quickly slammed the door shut behind him. Flying snow was whirling and stinging his eyes. The floor was three inches deep in snow. The fire in the fireplace had been blown out, and the room was growing cold. He could barely see Elsa in the middle of the room. She hadn't noticed him enter; she was pacing frantically back and forth, wringing her hands, ordering herself to "Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel, _don't feel!_" It wasn't working.

She was looking at the floor and at her hands. She didn't see Anders until he was four feet away; then she started back, wide-eyed. "Baron!" she exclaimed.

"Your Highness, please don't be afraid!" he urged her. He nearly had to shout to be heard over the wind.

"Afraid!" she screamed. "It's happening all over again! I lost my parents, and now I've lost my sister!"

"You _haven't_ lost your sister!" he shouted back. "Look out that window!"

She began to look, then turned back to face him. "Will I see her ship out there?"

"No, Your Highness, but you'll see a flag that's completely limp on its flagpole! There isn't a bit of wind out there! That means there aren't any storms nearby!"

She turned from him, to the window, and back to him again. She finally worked up the courage to look out the window for a few seconds. The complete calm outside contrasted starkly with the howling storm indoors. The wind in the room faded slightly.

"Anders… are you sure?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Really sure?"

"Yes, Your Highness. They're probably becalmed, just a few hours away, and they'll get here some time tomorrow."

"Becalmed." She said the word bitterly, looking around the room at the storm she'd caused. She looked at her hands. Her eyes started to fill. "I did this… over nothing?"

"Your Highness, you're a human being! No one expects you to be perfect! Your mistakes can be a little more obvious than other people's, but that doesn't make you a bad person!" He reached out and took her hands. "Please, Elsa, stop punishing yourself for being human."

For a moment, she looked into his eyes. Then she flung her arms around his neck, trying not to cry. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I'm such an idiot!" she sobbed.

"No, Elsa, you're not," he said, as quietly as he could over the roaring of the wind. "You just love your sister, that's all."

Slowly, the snowfall faded away; slowly, the room temperature rose; very slowly, the wind died away to nothing. Still she clung to him, and he wasn't about to let her go until she was ready. She was shaking. Or was it him?

At last, she took a deep breath and stepped away from him. She folded her hands in front of herself and looked nervously at the floor. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"I'm glad I could help," he answered, feeling extremely nervous for some reason. "Your Highness," he added.

She looked around at the snow that was still piled deep on the floor. "You probably need to be heading home."

"I missed the coach," he said. "I guess I'm staying in the palace for one more night."

"Oh," she replied. "Well, in that case… sleep well."

"Thank you, Your Highness. You too." He turned away, walked slowly out of the room, and pulled the door closed behind him. His footsteps were quiet on the hall carpet. The lamps in the hall were dim. One of the servants must have visited this hall recently to dim them. That servant might have overheard the Queen talking to a man in her room. He hoped this wouldn't cause problems for her.

He could still smell the scent of whatever she washed her hair with. He could feel the warmth where she'd held him.

It took him a _long_ time to fall asleep that night.

**o**

Anna and Kristoff's ship sailed grandly into the fjord at around nine the next morning. The flags were flying, the band was playing, the people were waiting, and this time, the Queen herself was on the docks as well. She was the first to greet the happy couple as they strode hand-in-hand down the gangplank. The sisters embraced joyously, but had to step aside as Sven galloped down the dock to be reunited with Kristoff. The reindeer nearly knocked the new Prince into the fjord.

"I'm sure you had a wonderful time," Elsa began, "but I really, _really_ missed you. Don't you _ever_ take a month-long honeymoon again!"

"I promise, I won't," Anna replied with a giggle. "I've got so many stories to tell you!" Then she suddenly turned serious. "Did you do… okay?"

"I had a couple of little incidents, but I'm fine," Elsa answered quietly.

"Was Anders helpful?" Anna asked.

"Yes… very much. You made a good choice. But enough about him! Let's get back to the palace so you can tell me everything! Oh – welcome back, Prince Kristoff."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he replied, with a surprisingly graceful bow. When he saw Elsa's eyes go wide, he added, "Anna's been working with me on the court-etiquette stuff." The three of them climbed into the royal carriage for the short ride back to the palace. Anna was already spilling over with words; she couldn't talk fast enough to say everything she wanted to say. Elsa listened, delighted, while Kristoff just sat and smiled. He remembered his best man's warning: "Women love to talk. If you want peace and quiet, marry a reindeer."

A few miles away, the morning mail-coach was winding up the mountain road, taking Anders back to his barony. He was the only passenger, which suited him; he needed a little time alone. He'd had enough of the other nobles, and court intrigue, and the endless busyness of life in the palace. He looked forward to the slower pace of his barony, where time was measured by growing seasons and the life cycles of sheep and cattle. It certainly wasn't an exciting life, but he was used to it.

The only thing he'd miss was Queen Elsa. The chance to spend time with the Queen, and actually make a difference in her life, was surely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he was glad he'd made the most of it. He would cherish those memories forever.

What was this unfamiliar ache in his heart?


	9. Chapter 9

**Thawing Together** Chapter 9

It took Anna a few days to get re-settled in the palace. Nothing had changed, of course, except that now she had a husband to share her room and her life. But that simple change caused all kinds of alterations in her routine. Suddenly, she had to take another person into account in every action she took, from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night. Of course, that was all a lot of fun, and Kristoff was as wonderful as she'd dreamed he'd be, but it meant she no longer had the time for a lot of the things she used to do. The days when she could sit and talk to her sister for hours were over. It took her a week to tell Elsa everything about her honeymoon, and she still thought of forgotten details now and then.

She finally got to the place where she wanted to know what had happened in Arendelle while she was away. Elsa gave her only the broadest overview of the month's events, with none of the personal details that made a story worth telling. She inquired of each of the high-ranking nobles as they came and went from the capital, and their version of events didn't line up with her sister's version at all. She finally called in Kai for a private audience, and he gave her the earful that she was desperate to hear. His description of Elsa's interactions with Anders were especially interesting.

"I don't know how he did it," Kai finished, "but the storm clouds went away, the ice on the walls melted, and everything was peaceful that night. When the Queen came down for breakfast the next morning, she was perfectly calm and relaxed. Gerda said she heard some gossip from one of the night servants, but she didn't care to repeat it."

"And how was the Baron that morning?" Anna wondered.

"I couldn't say, Your Excellency," Kai answered. "He left on the early-morning mail coach; I didn't see him leave. He hasn't been back to the palace since then."

"That's odd," she thought out loud. "I specifically told him I'd want to talk to him after I got back. Kai, please arrange for a messenger to take a message to the Baron. I need to speak to him." The major-domo nodded.

Three days later, the afternoon coach brought Anders back to the palace. He stepped out of the coach, stretched, retrieved his overnight bag (just in case), and walked slowly toward the open palace gates. "Baron Anders, here by appointment to see Princess Anna," he told the gatekeeper. It took a few minutes for a servant to to find her and let her know she had a visitor; he waited patiently. It wasn't like the month when he'd lived in the palace and could come and go as he pleased. He kind of missed that.

At last, the servant led him to the royal sitting room. It was filled with old, comfortable furniture, and a few small writing desks in the corners, in case it became necessary to jot down a message to someone. Anders suspected that there were ways for people outside the room to listen in on conversations if it were deemed necessary, but he wasn't worried about that. Neither Anna nor Elsa were the eavesdropping type.

"So, Baron... tell me about your time with the Queen," Anna began without preamble.

"Well, I guess it went okay," he said hesitantly. "She didn't complain; I suppose I was able to help her once or twice; I learned a lot about the inner workings of the Council and the palace... I'm glad I had the chance to do it."

"THAT'S IT?" Anna couldn't believe it. "A solid month of palace intrigue and international crises, and all I get is, 'I guess it went okay'?"

Anders was taken aback. "If I tried to tell you everything, we'd be here all day."

"Well, _I've_ got all day!" She forced herself to settle down. "Luckily for you, I've already gotten a pretty good idea of what went on." He went rigid, fearful of what the Queen might have told her sister, but Anna continued without missing a beat. "I've been told you did a fine job serving the Queen. Would you be willing to serve her again in a special way?"

He bit down the urge to exclaim, "In a heartbeat!" and kept himself calm. "Yes, Your Excellency, it always pleases me to serve her."

_He's still wound up as tight as a watch,_ she thought. _I wonder if he ever relaxed while I was away_. Out loud, she said, "Good. This is a rather sensitive job that will take a week or more of your time. When do you think you could start?"

He thought quickly. "If I could get home tonight and make arrangements, I could start tomorrow. Can you tell me what I'm going to do?"

The Princess looked around, as though afraid that someone might overhear her, even though there was no one else in the room. She pulled a rolled-up message out of a leather tube on the end table next to her. Both the tube and the message looked very, very fancy.

"We have received a formal message from King Vidor of the Southern Isles," she said quietly, but with traces of excitement. "He is inquiring whether our Queen is still single and unattached, and if she is, he proposes two of his sons as possible husbands for her."

Anders realized he ought to be happy for his Queen – a Prince of the Southern Isles was a worthy prize and would probably make a fine husband – but he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He nodded mutely for her to go on.

"We've learned a few things from what happened on Elsa's coronation day. Specifically, nobody in the royal line is going to get engaged to a total stranger. If our parents were still here, they'd check out these princes, but... they aren't here." She pulled herself into a regal sort of pose. "I am asking you, as a faithful servant of the Queen, to travel to the Southern Isles and find out what these princes are really like. I need to know if either of them might make a good Prince-Consort to our Queen. Will you do this for us?"

He struggled to find his voice. "Does the Queen know about this?" he finally asked.

"She knows about the offer; she doesn't know I'm sending you on this fact-finding mission," the Princess replied. "You would have to keep it from her, and everyone else, until I tell you it's all right to talk about it."

His mind spun. How could he do what the Princess was asking of him? If a stranger showed up in Arendelle and started asking personal questions about the nobility, he'd be brought to the palace under guard within a day and asked what his intentions were. Surely the Southern Isles would be at least that protective of their own nobility, especially the ruling family. He felt like he was being asked to be a spy, and that was a role he knew he could never play – "sneaky" was not his forte. Then he suddenly figured out how he could do it, maybe.

"I accept," he said. "I'll have to leave the palace on the night coach; there are some things I need to attend to at home. I can ride the morning mail-coach back here tomorrow morning."

"Oh, good!" Anna clapped her hands in delight. "A ship will be ready to sail as soon as you arrive. Spend as much time as you have to, and come back and report to me when you have some solid answers." She leaned forward and held his hands for a moment. "Thank you, Baron. Whether you bring good news or bad news, I need to know the truth."

"I'll do what I can," he nodded.

The journey across the Skagerrak to the Southern Isles was miserable. Anders had not been to sea in years, and he quickly rediscovered that he and the motion of the waves did not agree with each other. He had to bend over the gunwales only once, but he was unhappy and uncomfortable for the entire two-day journey. When he finally stepped off the ship, his first action was to kiss the ground. Then he found a guest house, rented a room, and ate a decent meal for the first time since leaving Arendelle.

His plan was simple. Rather than visiting as Baron Anders, he wore his work clothes and presented himself as Anders, the wool trader. His barony had some unsold wool and other goods sitting in storage sheds, so he could negotiate some actual trade deals. That was his excuse for spending all his time in the marketplaces, listening to gossip and asking discreet questions now and then. Within two days, he had a pretty good idea of the report he would bring back to Princess Anna. He had also picked up some other useful tidbits of information, like how some of the nearby realms were trading with Weselton under the table, in spite of the royal decrees against it.

He was closing up a final deal with a wool buyer when two men in the uniforms of the Royal Guard marched up to the market stall where he was negotiating. "You are Anders of Arendelle?" one of them demanded.

"I am," he nodded.

"We have orders to bring you to the Prince at once."

So he hadn't been as discreet as he thought he was. Well, he always knew he'd make a terrible spy. Which of the thirteen princes had he gotten in trouble with? Hopefully not one of the ones he was investigating... "Very well. I'll come peacefully." To the merchant, he said, "Can we finish up this deal tomorrow?"

"Not a chance," the trader exclaimed. "If you're in trouble with one of the princes, I don't want any part of _that_ action! The deal is off."

"As you wish," Anders shrugged. He turned to the guard. "I guess you should take me to your prince, then." One of them led the way and the other followed him as they left the market district of town and approached the palace. Actually, "palace complex" would be a better term. There was one big palace facing the sea, with two long extensions that wrapped around a huge central courtyard. Each extension was visibly broken into seven separate sections. Apparently, each of the thirteen sons of the King had his own royal apartment, or should he call it a mini-palace? The fourteenth section was probably used for guests.

The guards turned him over to two other guards at the gate of one of the apartments; those guards led him to an informal office, let him in, and waited outside. A handsome young man was writing at a desk. "Have a seat," he said without looking up. Anders chose a plain wooden chair near the desk and waited until the man finished whatever he was writing, blotted it with blotting sand, rolled it up, and applied his signet ring to a blob of hot wax to seal it.

"Welcome, Anders of Arendelle," he said in a jovial tone. "Or should I say, _Baron_ Anders of Arendelle? Oh, don't look so surprised. We met briefly at Queen Elsa's coronation. I am Prince Hans." He set his writing quill down. "Our people, like yours, don't precisely love their nobility, but they're very protective of them, and when a stranger starts asking questions about them, it raises some alarms. Those alarms have made their way back to me, and to a few of my brothers as well. This can be a friendly meeting, or it can be the last thing you do in the Southern Isles before we deport you; it's up to you."

"I'd prefer the 'friendly' part if I have a choice, Your Excellency," Anders nodded. "Why have you summoned me here?"

"I'd like to know the reason why you're asking personal questions about my brothers," Hans replied. "It makes certain people nervous. I'd like to calm them down before they do anything rash."

Being sneaky hadn't worked for Anders, so he decided to be up-front. "I'm here on commission from the Crown of Arendelle. We've received an offer from your father, the king, about two of your brothers, Prince Eugen and Prince Wilhelm, as possible consorts for my sovereign, Queen Elsa. I'm trying to learn which of the two would make a better Prince-Consort for my Queen."

"Elsa sent you here?" Hans wondered.

"No, it was Princess Anna who sent me," Anders replied.

Hans looked wistful for a moment. "Anna. She got married recently. Is she happy?"

"Very happy," Anders said. "Prince Kristoff is a good man."

"I'm glad," Hans nodded. "She deserves a good man." Then he visibly returned to business. "Tell me what you've learned about my brothers."

"With respect, Your Excellency, that sounds like an invitation to make you angry at me," Anders said hesitantly. "Some of the things I've heard were _not _the kinds of things you'd want engraved on your statue in the town square."

The prince snorted. "I grew up with these guys! There's nothing you could tell me that I don't already know, unless it's a total fabrication. That's what I want to find out about." He leaned toward Anders. "If you're really doing research on potential husbands for your Queen, then the things you tell me will prove that. If you're up to something else, your answers will tell me that as well. There are some people in shadowy places who think you're a spy. Are you, or aren't you? Talk to me about my brothers, Eugen and Wilhelm."

"Okay… Prince Eugen sounds like he could make a fine king some day. They say he handles responsibility well, he's a natural leader, he's not afraid to make hard decisions… but he's a bit too fond of the ladies for most people's liking."

Hans scowled. "You're being too kind, Baron. The only reason Eugen is looking for a bride in other lands is because none of _our_ men will trust him with their daughters any more! I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many…" He broke off. "Well, my father says all he needs is a good woman to settle him down."

"Your Excellency, with all due respect, I have to disagree with that," Anders answered. "A man who can't keep it zipped when he's single is not going to magically change for the better, just because he's married."

"Whatever. In any case, you've nailed his character, that's for sure. What about Willi? I mean Wilhelm?"

"Wilhelm will probably be a good leader in battle, he's got a knack for handling the lesser nobles, and he certainly looks the part of a king. But the people say he sometimes makes promises he can't keep, and he gets in trouble by spending money he doesn't have."

The prince snorted again. "There's a reason my father took away his access to the treasury and put him on a royal allowance! He seems to think… well, you don't need to know all our family secrets." He visibly relaxed. "Anyway, it appears that you're telling me the truth. I'll tell my older brothers to call off their bloodhounds. I assume you'll be leaving the Southern Isles by tomorrow at the latest?"

"If that's a hint, then I'll take the hint," Anders responded. "If I have an actual choice in the matter, I'd like to close one more business deal in the market before I go."

"You're actually negotiating with those thieves, and not getting skinned alive? That's a pretty good trick for a nobleman."

Anders smiled. "I wasn't born noble, Your Excellency. Sometimes it's handy to have a trade to fall back on."

Prince Hans looked thoughtful. "I like my lineage, but I can see how having a useful skill could be… useful. Do you consider yourself an honest man?"

"Yes," Anders answered, wondering where this was going.

"I may be sorry I asked this, but… what do the people say about _me?_"

"Well, I wasn't asking about you the way I was asking about your brothers, so I don't have as clear a picture, but what I heard was mostly positive. They think you have potential to be a good leader some day, and you really care about people, but you're too easily swayed by anyone who says nice things about you."

The prince looked a bit sad. "I guess I already knew that." Then he grinned suddenly. "Are _you_ saying nice things about me?"

"I might be," Anders answered, "but I have nothing to offer you and I don't want anything from you. Except your permission to finish selling my people's wool and cheese."

"If you can finish by tomorrow noon, you have my permission, " the Prince nodded. "If you left tomorrow afternoon, it would make certain people happy, and that would be to your advantage if you ever came back. If you try to stay much longer than that... let's just say it was your good luck that my men found you before any of my brothers' men did, and the longer you stay here, the more likely you'll bump into someone who will make you wish you'd gone home."

"I think I understand you, Your Excellency," Anders said. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"No, you've appeased my curiosity, and the curiosity of a few other people as well. Enjoy the rest of your time in the Southern Isles, and... when you get home, please tell Princess Anna I said 'hello'."

"I'll do that, Your Excellency. Thank you." The guards led him back to the main gates of the courtyard and let him go. He went straight back to the market, and was able to sell the remainder of his goods for a small profit before the sun went down. He still had to stay until just before lunchtime the next day, because no ship bound for Arendelle left the harbor any earlier than that. He ate no lunch. He didn't see the point, knowing he'd be sick as a dog for the next two days.

Owing to contrary winds, it actually took him almost three days to get home. Princess Anna wanted to meet with him at once and hear his report, but he respectfully asked if he could have an hour or two to regain his land legs, settle his stomach, and enjoy a bite to eat, with the confidence that it would stay down. Anna waited with barely-restrained impatience until the Baron finally joined her in the sitting room.

"Well?" she demanded.

He passed on Prince Hans' greeting and described the impressions he'd gotten, concluding by saying, "If Her Highness has to choose between a skirt-chaser and a spendthrift, I'd recommend that she stay single. There has to be _someone_ out there who's good enough for her!"

"She can't stay single," Anna replied firmly. "She's required by law to produce an heir to the throne, and that means she needs a husband. Every king and queen in northern Europe with an unmarried son knows it. I guess they were waiting until my wedding and honeymoon were done; now it's open season on my sister. In the week you were away, she's gotten another offer of marriage from the third son of the King of Narvik."

"I've heard of that one," Anders said thoughtfully. "He's handsome, he's a fine seaman, and they say he's got a temper. I'd worry for the woman he marries."

"We need more than hearsay in a matter like this," Anna replied. "I'm thankful for your report, Baron, and for the effort you put into getting it. You obviously have a talent for this kind of work. Would you be willing to sail north and check out this prince of Narvik for us?"

To her great surprise, he hesitantly answered, "No, Your Excellency."

"No?" she exclaimed. "But I thought you lived to serve the Queen!"

"I do," he said unhappily. "But please, I'm begging you, don't send me to check out another... another possible husband for Elsa. Find me some other way to serve her, _please!_ I'll scrape plates in the kitchen, I'll shovel out the stables... just don't ask me to approve or disapprove of any more men for the Queen. I can't do that anymore."

"And why not?" she demanded.

"It's because I..." His voice failed; he swallowed hard and stared at the floor for the space of a few breaths. Without looking up, he finally whispered, "It's because I'm in love with her."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thawing Together** Chapter 10

"It's because I'm in love with her."

Anna wasn't completely astonished to hear that answer from Anders. After what Kai had told her, she half-expected it. But actually hearing it left her speechless for a few seconds.

"You... love... my sister?" she finally managed to say.

Anders nodded mournfully. "I'd rather die than see her in another man's arms. It tears me up inside whenever I hear the words 'a husband for Elsa.' That's why I can't check out those potential husbands anymore. Either I'd be tempted to give a falsely bad report, or I'd overcompensate and give a falsely good report. Please don't ask me to do that."

Anna thought hard for a few seconds. "Does she know?"

"Probably not. Her people skills aren't the greatest, in case you hadn't noticed." Anna had to smile at that.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked him. "Are you going to tell her?"

"_No__!_" he burst out. "That would ruin _everything!_ She couldn't possibly have any interest in me – she's a drop-dead-gorgeous queen, pursued by handsome princes, and I'm just an unappealing fake baron! As soon as she knows, she'll feel uncomfortable around me; she won't want to talk to me; she'll find excuses to avoid me." Anna started to speak, but he cut her off. "Please don't say it won't happen, Your Excellency. That's how it _always _works with me and ladies! I don't want to make her uncomfortable or unhappy. It would probably be best if I stay away from the palace as much as I can."

"You're just going to walk away from true love?" Anna was actually shocked.

"It's not true love unless it's mutual," Anders said sadly.

"So what are you going to do – climb the North Mountain and make an ice palace, and live all by yourself?"

"No," he said, unwilling to make eye contact with her. "I'll go back to my barony, to live in a house that's too big for one person, and talk to people about cows and barley, and read a book, and... try to forget, I guess. What a waste of time _that_ will be! Maybe I'll take up drinking, even though I hate the taste of the stuff. They say it's good if you want to forget."

"Are you suggesting that's a good way to live your life?" she demanded.

"I can't think of any other way," he said sadly.

"Well, _I_ can," she began. "I thought I found true love once. I was wrong, and so was he, even though we both wanted it to be real. It turned out that true love was right under my nose, but I was looking too hard in the wrong direction. I got a second chance, and I've never been happier.

"The only other thing that could make me that happy is knowing that Elsa is loved and cared for. She's being bombarded with marriage offers from total strangers who have no feelings for her at all! They just want to wear a crown, and my sister is nothing but a rug for them to walk on as they ascend to the throne. They don't care about her, they don't know how to help her when she's stressed... maybe she could grow to love them, but it's more likely she'd get stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life. I don't want that for her, and I know she doesn't want it.

"Now I've found a good man who couldn't care less about her throne or her crown, who knows about her power and isn't afraid of it, and who really loves her, just for who she is. Do you think I'm going to let you just walk out of her life, because you're afraid of what might go wrong? I don't think so!"

Anders started to speak, but she held up a hand for silence. "I'm the princess here, so I make the rules. Here's the deal. I won't ask you to check out any more men for Elsa, if you promise you'll tell her how you feel about her."

Anders realized he was swiftly losing control of this situation. "And if I don't accept this deal...?"

Anna folded her arms. "Then _you'll_ be on the next ship headed for Narvik, and _I'll_ tell Elsa how you feel."

Anders started to protest, but stopped himself. He had no leverage at all. Anna was obviously determined to wreck his life, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it, except to choose the method. He slowly nodded. "I have to accept."

"Good," she said. "When?"

"When will I tell her? The next Council meeting is a little over two weeks away. I'll tell her after that."

"Anders, you're stalling. There's no reason to wait two weeks. Either you march out of here, find her in the palace, and tell her right now, or _I_ will!"

He was trapped, and he knew it. Reluctantly, he nodded, and turned for the door. His hand was almost on the handle when it burst open, rapping his knuckles and nearly knocking him over. It was Gerda.

"Your Excellency... I mean Your Excellencies... I'm sorry to intrude, but no one knew where to find you. You're both wanted in the Council room! Queen's orders. She says it's very important." Anders stood aside for Princess Anna to precede him.

When they got to the Council chamber, they found Elsa, Kristoff, and Kai waiting for them. "Be seated," Elsa said. "I've got some alarming news." Anna sat on her right, with Kristoff next to her. Anders reluctantly took the seat on the Queen's left, where the Duke of Erl usually sat. He was the only Council nobleman here.

"Stavanger attacked Glauerhafen, just as we suspected," the Queen began. "Their two navies fought a sea battle with no winners, just a lot of losers. There's a badly-damaged ship from Stavanger that wants to enter the fjord. They have wounded men on board, and they're in danger of sinking."

"So... let them in!" Anna exclaimed. "We can't turn away wounded men on a sinking ship, can we?"

"The problem is, if we help Stavanger's men and let them fix their ship, Glauerhafen will think we're taking Stavanger's side," the Queen replied.

"And if we turn them away, Stavanger will think we're on Glauerhafen's side." Kristoff was quick to see the problem.

"It looks like a no-win situation," Elsa went on. "Someone will hate us, no matter what we do. We could get pulled into their war if we aren't _very_ careful. What do you suggest?"

_I could tell them a thing or two about no-win situations,_ Anders thought. Out loud, he said, "We have to aid the wounded; that's a law of humanity. And we can't refuse to aid a sinking ship; that's the law of the sea. But maybe we can arrange it so no one can accuse us of taking sides. Let me think for a second..."

"What if we kept the ship for ourselves?" Kristoff wondered. "That way, neither of the others gets a benefit."

"Stavanger will just say, 'That's our ship, give it back'," Elsa replied. "They'd probably say the same thing if we stripped it for the parts."

"We'll let them dock, and take all the men ashore," Anders thought out loud. "Then we'll examine the ship, we'll find out it's so badly damaged that our shipyard can't fix it, and we'll tow it out to sea and let it sink. We stay strictly neutral that way."

"What about the men?" Kristoff asked.

"We _have_ to help the wounded," Anna replied. "No one can fault us for that."

"But as soon as they can walk, we'll send them all home with the clothes on their backs, food for the journey, and nothing else." That was Kristoff's idea.

"Glauerhafen still won't like it if we let Stavanger's sailors go home to fight another day," Elsa noted.

"We can't tow the men out to sea and let them sink," Anders replied, "and we don't have the resources to keep them all here until the war is over. If some of them volunteer to live in Arendelle, we'll let them stay. The others should go home with nothing, like Prince Kristoff said. It's either that or hand them over to Glauerhafen, and if we have to choose one of those realms to be mad at us, Stavanger would be the worse enemy of the two. We can probably smooth things over with Glauerhafen, but Stavanger is looking for a fight."

After a few seconds of silence, Elsa nodded. "It's decided, then. We'll aid the wounded, scuttle the ship, and repatriate all the sailors who don't choose to stay here. Thank you all for your advice." The meeting was adjourned. All of them were kept very busy for the rest of the day, dealing with various aspects of the crisis. Anders had no chance to tell Elsa anything personal. He was grateful for the distraction.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thawing Together** Chapter 11

Anna was quite displeased to learn that Anders had fled back to his barony as soon as the Stavanger warship crisis had been dealt with. She began writing a strongly-worded message, ordering him to return at once or she'd send her guards after him. But she was distracted, along with the rest of the capital, by the unexpected arrival of Prince Eugen and Prince Wilhelm from the Southern Isles.

They both made their best attempts to impress the Queen, and they both failed miserably. Their focus was on what fine kings they would be, instead of what fine husbands they would be. The Princess had the men discreetly watched, and learned that Anders' report on them was completely accurate. Prince Eugen even made a pass at _her_ – a married woman! Kristoff would have broken the man's nose if he knew, and that would have caused an international incident, so she didn't tell him. She discreetly handled the problem herself, by punching Prince Eugen in the face and knocking him into the fjord. (She told herself it was okay because she probably didn't break his nose.) He and his brother spent a week and a half in Arendelle, trying everything to win Elsa's approval – formal dinners, private audiences, horseback rides together – before they gave up and went home. Wilhelm left several unpaid bills behind him.

Elsa and Anna met on the palace balcony that night. "Good riddance," Elsa said ruefully, looking out to sea. "You warned me about them, and you were right, right down to the details. Where did you get your information?"

"From a friend," Anna smiled. "And I share your opinion of them.

"Did you want to tell them, 'Go, man!'  
"I'm glad they went away.  
"They're nothing but a pair of bores, not what I'm hoping for – their time was overstayed!  
"You need to find a husband, but they were not  
"A husbandly kind of guy.  
"Did you want to tell them, 'Go, man!' You'd be better off with no man.  
"Go away! Bye!"

Elsa got into the spirit of things and added her own comments.

"Did I want to tell them, 'Go, man'?  
"I didn't like them, not at all.  
"I've got a message for the two of you – you need a talking-to! You're headed for a fall!  
"I'm not your one-and-only, so don't assume  
"My heart's something you can buy.  
"How I longed to tell them, 'Go, man!' I don't need their kind of woe, man.  
"No, not I!"

Anna chuckled; then she turned serious. "Obviously, they weren't the kind of man you're looking for. But what kind of man _are_ you looking for?"

Elsa took a few seconds to answer. "Honestly, I'm not looking for _any _kind of a man. I feel like I've just started living, I've just started to figure out who I am. I'm not ready to merge my life with someone else's life yet."

"If you weren't the Queen, that would be a good answer," Anna nodded, "but you signed away that option when you accepted the crown. You know the law – you _have_ to produce an heir."

" 'Produce an heir?' That sounds so impersonal!" Elsa burst out. "I'm not some kind of royal brood mare who needs a stallion!"

"So it's important that you find a man who really cares about you?" Anna wondered.

"Of course it is! And I need to care about him, too. Surely you don't think I'd marry without some kind of love involved?"

"I had to be certain, and don't call me Shirley," Anna replied with a grin. "So if you found a man who loved you, what would happen then?"

"Well... I guess I'd have to decide how I felt about him. I've never met a man who really cared about me, so I haven't thought it through yet."

"You realize that most royalty hardly even know the person they marry, right?" Anna said. "Arranged marriages are how it usually happens. Sometimes love grows after the wedding."

"And sometimes it doesn't," Elsa shot back. "We both know noble couples who can barely stand to be in the same room with each other. Where are you going with this?"

"I just want to know what you're expecting in a future husband, so I can do a good job finding him," Anna replied. "I'm the only one left who can look out for you –"

"Except the Nobles' Council, of course," Elsa interrupted. "They'd _love_ to arrange a marriage for me if they could!"

"I know," Anna said, "but if they arranged something, it would be pure politics. They couldn't care less about your feelings. Unlike them, I love you and I want to see you happy."

"Okay, then tell all the men to go away for at least five years!" the Queen exclaimed. At Anna's shocked expression, she added, "All right, two years." Then she leaned her elbows on the balcony handrail, rested her chin in her hands, and sighed. "No, never mind. I know the law, and I know what the people expect of me. I'll do my duty somehow." She looked sharply at her sister. "But if my only choices are skirt-chasers and spendthrifts, I'd rather break the law and stay single! There has to be at least _one_ unmarried nobleman out there who isn't a jerk!" Her expression turned sad, and she siezed her sister's hands. "Anna, _please,_ help me find that man, before I get stuck for life with someone who doesn't even love me!"

Anna nodded and squeezed her sister's hands. "I'm trying, honest. But... what if you had to choose between a man you love and a man who loves you?"

"I wouldn't want to have to make that choice," Elsa said softly, so she wouldn't be overheard by the guard passing through the courtyard below them. "But if I had to... I'd choose the man who loved me. I know he'd be kind and gentle, and he'd make me feel special." She smiled. "There's something about being loved that I still haven't gotten used to. It's powerful."

"Giving love is pretty nice, too, you know," Anna replied.

"I'm still working on that one." Elsa looked away at the stars, and Anna knew the conversation was over.

The next day, Kristoff and Anna were called away from the palace. One of Kristoff's mountain-man friends had gone missing, and the new prince volunteered to lead the search. Anna went with him, of course. Before they left, she sent a short note to Baron Anders, informing him that she would be away for a few days, and he should return to the palace in case Elsa needed him. She concluded with two words, written extra-large: **TELL** **HER****!**

Kristoff looked over her shoulder as she finished. "What's that about?" he asked.

"The Baron is kind of a stand-in for me when I'm away," Anna explained as she blotted the note. "He helps my sister stay on an even keel when other people stress her out."

"Do you think she'll be under that much stress? We'll only be gone for a few days, at most."

"I just have a feeling," Anna said, and sealed the note and handed it to a servant for quick delivery.

This turned out to be Prince Kristoff's first experience with women's intuition, and it rattled him badly when he found out his wife was right. The next morning, while the prince, the princess, and Sven the royal reindeer were tramping through the wilderness, a small ship from Stavanger sailed into the harbor and docked without making any contact with the harbormaster. Major Harstad and a squad of ten men climbed out, marched up to the palace gates, and demanded to see the Queen. There was no one available except Anders and Kai to support her in the Council room when the Major was let in.

"I am here to reclaim two deserters from the Stavanger navy," he said without introduction. "They were on a ship that entered your harbor and was later scuttled. The rest of the crew returned home, but those two remained behind. I suggest that you tell us where they are, and stay out of our way."

Elsa bristled with anger immediately. "Is it Stavanger's habit to threaten the rulers of other nations?"

"Is it Arendelle's habit to encourage desertion in wartime?" the Major shot back.

"Your war is not our concern," Elsa replied, gripping the table edge. "Those men chose to stay here, of their own free will; we didn't suggest it to them. They're on the soil of a neutral nation, and they are out of your reach."

"Are they worth going to war over?" Major Harstad demanded. "I am authorized to tell you that we will stop at _nothing_ to get our men back. Otherwise, other men might follow their example."

"I believe it is Stavanger's habit to kill deserters, is it not?" Anders commented.

"What we do with our own men is not your concern," the Major snapped. "The only thing that matters is that they are _our_ men. Will you hand them over or not?"

Anders glanced at the queen, and knew he had to act fast. She was about to erupt with fear, anger, or both. "Your Highness, I think you need a breath of fresh air." Kai was already opening the door as Anders guided Elsa into the hallway. As soon as her major-domo closed the door, she let fly with a cone-shaped icy blast that coated walls, floor, and ceiling with thick frost.

She also coated Anders's hand with frost; he had gestured down the hall, and his hand got caught in the blast. "Wow!" he exclaimed, shook the frost crystals off his hand, and stuck it in his pocket to warm it up again.

"Oh, no!" she gasped. "Anders, are you all right?" Snowflakes began tumbling down around her.

"I think so." He wiggled his fingers experimentally in his pocket. "Everything works; my feeling is coming back, sort of. I'm okay, Your – Elsa, please, no, don't cry!"

"I keep doing this!" she sobbed as she turned away from him. "Anyone who's nice to me, I freeze solid!"

"Your Highness, it's okay! _I'm_ okay! See?" He pulled out his hand and forced his fingers to wiggle. "You didn't hurt me."

She looked over her shoulder at him, with tears in her eyes. "What are you going to do when I _do_ hurt you? I appreciate that you want to help, but maybe you should keep your distance from me."

"Elsa, I won't be afraid of you! I l–" He stopped himself, but he was one consonant too late. She knew _exactly_ what he had tried not to say.

They stared at each other for in shock a few seconds. Anders finally lowered his head and stared at the floor. "Well, I guess _that_ secret isn't so secret anymore."

"Anders… why?"

"Why do I love you? Because you're the most beautiful, wonderful, kind-hearted, gentle, giving –"

She shook her head, wide-eyed. "No! I'm not _any_ of those things. I almost took your hand off! I could _kill_ you without even meaning to! Would you still feel so loving if that cold burst had stuck you to the wall and buried you an inch deep in ice... and took your _breath _away? What would you have done then?"

He took a deep breath. There was no point in being subtle or secretive now. "I would have remembered all the things you let me do to help you, and how grateful you were. I would have reminded myself that you didn't mean to do it. I would have pictured your face, your eyes, your hair, and remembered how it felt to hold you, that night just before Princess Anna came back... and my last thought would have been, 'It was worth it. _She_ was worth it.' "

She shook her head in dismay, turned, and fled down the hall, her ice-cape flying behind her. She also left a cloud of snowflakes behind her. Anders was left standing by himself, staring down the hall at where she'd gone. He held out his other hand so some of her snowflakes could land on it. They swiftly melted and vanished.

A minute later, Anna appeared at the end of the hall. "Anders? I just got back; Kristoff found his friend. Gerda told me there's an important meeting in there. What's going on?"

"I blew it," he said sadly.

Anna glanced at the frost-covered walls as she walked toward him. "What did you do?" she asked softly.

"I told her how I felt about her."

"And…?"

"She ran away."

"I'll talk to her, Anders. What about the meeting?"

"A soldier from Stavanger wants the sailors who stayed in Arendelle when the damaged ship was here. He's threatening war if he doesn't get them."

"Is my sister okay?"

"I don't know," he answered. "The Major really made her upset, and I made it worse."

"I have to go to her. Anders, I'm giving you authority to speak for the crown in that meeting until either Elsa or I comes back. Make the best decision you can. I've seen how you think; I'm not worried."

"Princess Anna, I'm not thinking very clearly right now!"

"Do your best, Anders. I couldn't help you anyway; I have no idea what the issues are. The best thing I can do is help Elsa. We'll rejoin the meeting once she's steady again."

"Your Excellency, I have a sinking feeling she isn't …" Anna had already run back the way she came. "…going to want to rejoin this meeting," he finished, talking to the empty hall. He slowly turned back to the council chamber and opened the door.

"May I ask what is going _on_ out there?" Major Harstad demanded.

"You may not," Anders answered. "Kai, please make a note. Princess Anna has given me authority to speak for the crown until the Queen or the Princess rejoins the meeting." Kai nodded and wrote in his record-keeping book as Anders returned to the seat he'd occupied earlier. He was on his own, with the threat of war hanging over whatever he was about to say. He was forcing himself to think; he wasn't sure how well it was working. He tried to stall for time until his brain got started again.

"I have a question for you, Major. Are you here in peace or in war?"

"I am here with a demand, which is not open to –"

"_Major,_ are you here in _peace_ or in _war?_" Anders cut him off.

There was a long pause. "I am here in peace, for now," the soldier finally said. He seemed reluctant to admit it.

"Very well," the baron nodded. "I was informed that your ship tied up at our docks without permission or greeting. If you were here in war, that would make you invaders. Because you are here in peace, that makes you trespassers instead." The Major began to protest, but Anders cut him off again. His brain was working again, more or less. "The simple fact, Major, is that we can't give you what you want. Even if I knew exactly where these sailors are living now – which I don't – what is the likelihood that they will be at home? Sailors sail for a living. They're almost certainly at sea somewhere." He paused to let the Major think about that. "I can't even assure you that they're on a ship that belongs to Arendelle. They might well be working a passage on a ship from some other nation that docked here in the past, and is now taking them far away from Stavanger. Wouldn't that be a sensible thing for a runaway sailor to do?" The Major obviously hadn't thought of that.

Anders was on a roll now. "I commend you for your loyalty to your King and your mission, Major Harstad. But you have to make a decision. You and your men can get back in your ship, sail home, and admit that you couldn't find the missing sailors. Or you can continue to make problems for us here, in which case I would recommend to my Queen that she impound your ship and let you and your fellow trespassers _walk_ home. And don't threaten us with war, Major, because you and I both know that Stavanger doesn't want another enemy at this time. All you want is to send a message to any of your sailors who might be thinking about jumping ship in the middle of a war – and, believe me, I understand your position. I also understand that you don't want to go home empty-handed. But whether you leave willingly or unwillingly, you are _going_ to leave empty-handed.

"What's your decision, Major?"

The Major was speechless for nearly half a minute. Somehow, the peaceful kingdom of Arendelle had turned the tables on him and presented _him_ with a non-negotiable demand! Finally, he spoke. "If my King had a few men who served him the way you serve your Queen, then I think Stavanger would rule all Norway. I will tell my superiors that the missing sailors are somewhere at sea, and we could not find them."

Anders rose from the table. "I hope I don't have to see you again, Major, but if I do, it will be good to know that you're a reasonable man." The soldier snapped to attention and saluted; Anders managed a sloppy, unpracticed reply. "Kai, please see that the Major is returned to his ship, along with his men. They are not to be hindered as they leave Arendelle."

"Yes, sir. Major, if you would follow me, please?" The major-domo led the Major out of the chamber and down the hall. Major Harstad was not heard to comment on the frost-covered hallway.

Alone in the Council chamber, Anders sank back into his chair, feeling weak and shaky. He had just run a huge bluff – he knew Elsa would never have impounded the Stavanger ship – and he'd gotten away with it. Why had he even tried it? He wasn't the bluffing type and never had been. Something was scrambling his brains. Something, or some_one_.

"The way I serve my Queen," he said mockingly, echoing the Major's words. "If you only knew…" He buried his head in his shaking hands and tried not to cry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thawing Together** Chapter 12

Anna meant to go straight to Elsa's chambers, but she was hit by delay after royal delay. She had to send out messengers to everyone who was searching for Kristoff's friend, telling them he'd been found and the search was over. She had to consult with Kai about the meeting and its ramifications. She had to greet her husband when he returned to the palace. She had to make all the little decisions that Elsa usually made about schedules and menus and a hundred other things. It wasn't until after supper that she finally had a few spare minutes to visit her distraught sister.

She found Elsa lying on her bed, shoveling chocolate into her face and sniffling into a damp lace handkerchief. A light snowfall was drifting down all over the room, and judging by the depth of the snow on the floor, it had been falling for some time now. Anna didn't waste any time on stupid questions like, "What's wrong?" She just sat down on the bed and held out her arms. Elsa nearly threw herself at her sister, and finally let herself cry. Anna didn't ask "What's wrong?" until she was almost done.

"I don't know," she sobbed. "It doesn't make any sense, you're going to think I'm being stupid, I don't understand it myself…" Anna waited.

"The meeting was getting tense… the Baron got me out of the room just before I lost it, and I shot some cold in the hall… Anna, I could have _killed_ him! All I hit was his hand… he said it didn't hurt, but I could tell it did…"

"He didn't tell me about that part," Anna said quietly. "What happened then?"

Elsa started sobbing again. "He said… he said he loves me!" She dabbed at her eyes with the damp handkerchief, and reached into her nightstand for a fresh one.

"Most people wouldn't call that the end of the world," Anna said.

"Anna… it was almost like when I froze you, and you came back loving me! I could handle that, just barely, because you're my sister, but… Anders is like a total stranger! How could he love me after I hurt him the way I just did? I'm moody, I'm destructive… it _doesn't make sense!_"

"For one thing, he isn't a total stranger," Anna replied. "He probably knows you better than anyone else except me, and maybe Kai and Gerda. If he's seen you at your worst, and he still says he loves you, then it must be real."

"But, Anna, how am I supposed to treat him now? I know how to treat a noble, I know how to treat a servant, but how do I treat someone who feels that way about me? While you were away, he made me feel almost as safe as you do, but now… what is he thinking when he comforts me? What is he thinking when he holds me? What am I going to do with him?"

"You could marry him," Anna suggested.

"Anna, I'm serious!"

"So am I! You _know_ you have to marry _somebody_. The longer you wait, the more pressure you're going to get from the nobles, and the other kings and queens around us. You said you wanted to find a good man who loves you, right? I'd say you've found one. So what's the problem?"

"I don't know," Elsa sniffed. "I was talking hypothetically before, but it just got real! I just… I don't know what I should do. I don't have any feelings for him! He's a really nice guy, and all that, but… I'm just not drawn to him that way."

"Elsa, let me show you something." Anna motioned for her sister to look out the bedroom window. Below them were some of the palace gardens. In the fading sunlight, they could see a man pacing back and forth along the garden paths, sometimes stopping to shake his head, or wring his hands, or turn to go back the way he'd just come.

Elsa watched him pacing for a minute. "What is he doing in the gardens? Doesn't he usually run back to his barony as soon as he gets the chance?"

"He can't," Anna grinned. "Not this time. I gave all the coachmen and grooms the night off. He's not going anywhere until we settle this thing." Then she turned serious. "Elsa, that man is tearing his heart out over you! If you could find a way to do your duty with a total stranger, why is it so hard to let Anders love you?"

"Because I could never love him back that much!" Elsa threw her arms around her sister. "Oh, Anna, after all those years I spent in my room... I think _I'm _the one with the frozen heart now! I think I forgot how to love people! If I got involved with him, he'd do all the giving and I'd do all the taking, and he'd wind up hating me for it!"

"You don't have much faith in the power of love, do you?" Anna asked quietly. "It brought me back from death, it helped you control your power when nothing else worked... and it's either going to lift Anders to the clouds, or tear him to pieces, depending on what you decide to do. Why don't you think love can hold you together, even if the loving isn't divided fifty-fifty?"

The young Queen sat down heavily on the bed. "Okay, just for the sake of argument, let's say I agree to this little scheme that you've obviously been cooking up for weeks. I think I just broke his heart. How would I get him to propose to me?"

"You wouldn't. Welcome to the wonderful world of royalty, Your Majesty! You're the reigning sovereign, so _you_ have to propose to _him_."

Elsa gasped, went wide-eyed, and clutched her throat. A chill wind began swirling the snow around in the room. "_Me?_ I can't! I couldn't! Anna, I couldn't _do_ that! You're royalty – can you ask him for me?"

Anna had to laugh. "I can't propose to him for you! Am I supposed to ask him to be my brother-in-law?" She sat next to her sister and put an arm around her shoulder. "There's nothing to be afraid of – you _know_ he isn't going to reject you! Queens have been doing this with their Prince-Consorts for a thousand years. It's not like you're the first one."

"Maybe not, but it's the first time for _me,_" Elsa said nervously.

Anna took her hand. "You only have to ask him once. Then he says 'yes,' and it's done."

"It's done," Elsa nodded. "I'm glued to this guy for life, for better or worse. Anna, I just don't feel like I'm ready!" She got up and began pacing back and forth in the huge bedroom, unknowingly mimicking Anders' pacing in the garden below her as she tried to sort it all out in her head.

"The man seems nice, and he doesn't fear ice. He is gentle, isn't mean.  
"But I'm feeling desperation! Now I hate to be the Queen!  
"All of my power will not help me to decide –  
"Should I run to him? Should I be his bride?

" 'Extend your line, make royalty! Be a good girl, give up your life that's free!'  
"He's real; he feels; he's just below. How can I know?"

Anna jumped up to pace next to her. She actually had an answer.

"Love will grow! Love will grow! It's knocking right on your door.  
"Love will grow! Love will grow! I have seen it and I'm sure!  
"Don't you dare let him get away!  
"If you let him run, you'll marry a stranger some other day."

Elsa threw up her hands. What kind of a choice was that?

"Oh, Anna, your insistence could drive me up the wall!  
"Is it true, what you have told me? How can I make the call?"

Anna had an answer for that, too.

"It's time you see what love can do,  
"It's time for him and time for you!  
"It's right, not wrong; take it from me.  
"You'll see!

"Love will grow! Love will grow! Believe me, your heart won't die.  
"Love will grow! Love will grow! Together, you can fly!  
"Was this planned? I just can't say,  
"But your heart goes on!"

Elsa stepped back to the window. Anders had wandered off into the darkness for a minute, and had just paced back into view, still looking miserable. Elsa didn't look much happier. Anna stayed right beside her, desperately trying to find the words that would settle the issue in her sister's mind.

"I know you're worried 'cause an heir has to be found.  
"I know you're searching for some chosen facts to guide you 'round.  
"But I'm your sister and I tell you – move in fast.  
"You've got to make your pact before your chance has passed!

"Love will grow! Love will grow! This guy has to be the one.  
"Love will grow! Love will grow! To you, he's surely drawn.  
"There he stands! Nothing's in your way!  
"If you find him gone,  
"You won't find a better man any day."

Elsa stared at the snowy floor for long moments. Anna finally burst out, "Elsa, if you don't go to him now, I'm never going to a royal wedding with you ever again, do you hear me? I mean, this is an incredibly romantic moment, and you're ruining it for me!"

Elsa took her sister's hands. Her own hands were trembling. "I just can't be sure. Anna... are _you_ sure? _Really_ sure?"

Anna nodded with a smile. Was Elsa trusting her to make this decision? "I'm not a love expert, but I'm related to them by marriage, and that ought to count for something. Yes, I'm sure."

Elsa took a deep breath and let it out. "All right." The snow started falling faster.

**o**

Anders had retreated to the gardens because he figured he'd be alone there. He'd tried to get home, but the palace stables were a ghost town; all the carriages and coaches were silent and unmanned. The tack and saddles were locked away as well, so he couldn't even take a riding horse home. All he wanted was for this nightmare to end somehow. He'd bared his heart to Elsa, and Elsa had run away. She'd rejected him. Now the pain in his heart was tearing him to pieces. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this.

He thought the palace gardens would be a good place to sit by himself and be miserable for a few hours. But he soon realized that he wasn't alone. Someone small and white with a cloud over his head was also wandering the paths, sniffing every flower he could reach. Olaf was just about the _last_ person he wanted to deal with! He started pacing again, trying not to bump into the little snowman, and managed to avoid an encounter until Olaf turned left when Anders expected him to turn right.

"_Hel_-lo!" the snowman exclaimed. "Hey, I remember you! You're the one who doesn't smile unless he's telling jokes to the Queen. Maybe you should be the royal jester."

"Hi, Olaf," Anders said listlessly.

"Wow, don't sound so happy to see me!" Olaf said. "The last time I saw a guy that down, he was leaving behind the girl he loved. What's _your _excuse?"

"Pretty much the same thing."

"Oh." The snowman wasn't so confident when the topic wasn't happy. "Kristoff was leaving a princess behind, but he got her back. Who are you leaving behind?"

"The Queen," Anders sighed.

"Ouch," said Olaf. "At least you were aiming high."

"Yeah," Anders agreed with a bitter chuckle. "But everybody knows queens don't fall for barons, right? They go for princes and kings. _Lucky _princes and kings, with rank and money and handsome faces! Olaf, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to be alone if I could."

"Oh, that's all right. I don't mind." The irrepressible little snowman ambled about ten feet away, and began musing over the situation out loud.

"Just because  
"A guy falls in love, and if he does,  
"His heart, maybe still, will get the toss –  
"A bummer!"

"He'll sink or he'll stand,  
"He'll cry or he'll sing how love is grand,  
"But probably never will understand –  
"A bummer!"

Anders shook his head and edged away. This was _definitely_ not helping. Olaf went on, oblivious.

"He might be proud or humble – he's going to end up all forlorn,  
"Unless he's pursuing his girl and caught her when true love's born."

"But he can not foresee  
"All the outcome of what will be.  
"Is it fate, or luck, or just destiny?  
"A bummer!"

He began dancing, his happy moves totally disconnected from what he was singing about.

"Da-dah... dah-doo... a-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-boo.  
"Falling in love's quite a turn of events,  
"But not if the girl wants to stay on the fence!

"Rrrah dat-dah dat-dah, da-da-da-da-da-dooh.  
"Girls like a guy who is friendly and snuggly;  
"They don't really care if he's cute or he's... a handsome stud-muffin!"

Olaf eventually wandered off, leaving Anders to his restless pacing in the dark.

He noticed that it was beginning to snow. A light breeze made all the leaves and flowers flutter. He nearly slipped on some ice that had just appeared on the path. He stopped, hugged himself against the sudden cold, and looked around in the darkness.

"Elsa? I mean, Queen Elsa? Your Highness? I can tell you're around here somewhere. Is everything okay?"

He heard a rustle from behind him. Elsa stepped out from behind a corner of the palace. She was wearing her ice-blue dress with the off-shoulders and the slit restored, and wearing her hair in the side-braid style that he loved. Her huge blue eyes were luminous in the moonlight. He had never seen her looking so beautiful... except she also looked very nervous, maybe even scared.

Part of him wanted to rush and embrace her; part of him wanted to turn and run. Instead, he asked, "Elsa, what's wrong? Can I help? Please?"

She stopped about ten feet away from him, arms folded, head down. "I... I guess I should apologize for the way I treated you in the hallway. I wasn't very kind."

He forced himself to smile. "I didn't exactly give you much warning to get your thoughts together."

"That doesn't make it okay. You trusted me with your heart; you didn't deserve what I gave you in return. Anders... there's something I have to ask you." It was snowing harder. She _really_ seemed nervous. How badly had he upset her with his honesty?

"You can ask me anything, Your Highness." Whatever was on her mind, he doubted he'd like it.

She seemed to make a decision. She walked quickly up to him and, to his amazement, she took his hands. He was shaking and he knew she could feel it. Or was it her? Her voice was low and unsteady. "What I want to ask you is... I need to ask... well, what I mean is, my sister... I mean, Princess Anna... wishes to know...

"...if you would consent to being her brother-in-law."

"Her br–" For several seconds, it was like she'd spoken a foreign language to him; her words didn't register at all. Then it took him a few more seconds to figure out what she meant, and a few seconds more to overcome his disbelief.

Then he slowly went down on one knee, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at her, and choked out the words, "Please tell Princess Anna that I humbly, thankfully, and happily accept her gracious offer."

There was no need for Elsa to tell Princess Anna anything. Anna saw the whole thing. She and Kristoff were watching from their bedroom window. They couldn't hear what was said, but the meaning was pretty clear when Anders went to one knee, and there was no question at all when he stood after a few seconds and flung his arms around the queen.

"You did it," Kristoff smiled at his bride and took her hand.

"_She_ did it!" Anna smiled back and entwined her fingers with his, but he had to let go as she began jumping up and down and laughing for joy. "_Yes!_ This is one of the three happiest days of my life! The other two had something to do with you, of course."

"I guess I don't mind sharing," he grinned, "as long as it stays in the family."

**o**

_A/N I did not invent the concept of a reigning queen having to propose to a lower-ranking man. When Queen Victoria of England wished to marry Prince Albert, she did the proposing, and he accepted._

_The more observant among you may have noticed that my version of "Let It Go" is a complete inversion of the movie song. In the original, Elsa is declaring independence from everyone's expectations of her, even though it also means renouncing love and companionship. In this variation, Anna is encouraging her to embrace love and companionship, even though it also means embracing everyone's expectations of her._


	13. Chapter 13

**Thawing Together** Chapter 13

"So… what happens next?" he asked.

Anders and Elsa had enjoyed a prolonged embrace after he accepted her unorthodox proposal. Well, she knew _he _enjoyed it; she still wasn't completely sure how she felt about him, except that he was better than any of her other alternatives. Was that the nicest thing she could say about the man she was now going to marry? Still, she found a sense of safety in his arms that, up until now, she had associated only with Anna. She could close her eyes, confident that he was looking out for her and wasn't afraid of her. In fact, when Anders finally let her go, she was surprised to see that the snowfall had stopped. Now they were engaged to be married, they were holding hands in the garden in the moonlight, and neither of them had the slightest idea what they ought to be doing.

"What happens next?" she repeated. "I may have to ask Kai about that. He's our protocol expert. I've never gotten engaged before."

"Me neither," he nodded, then winced. "That really sounded lame, didn't it?"

"It's okay," she smiled. "I think this thing took both of us by surprise. We didn't have a chance to do our homework. Anyway, I know the nobles will have to approve you, I know there will have to be a –"

"The _nobles?_" Anders burst out. "The last time I saw them, they were bringing charges against me to put me out of the Council! It's hard to imagine they'd suddenly approve of me for anything at all."

"I think I can handle _them,_" Elsa said quietly. "I think I might even _enjoy _handling them. Anyway, there will have to be a public presentation, we'll set a date, and then… then I think I'll let Anna plan the wedding for us."

"She does have a lot of energy," the Baron nodded.

"And she's had practice at it," Elsa agreed. "Can you think of anything else we need to do?"

"I'm not doing much thinking at all. I'm still in shock," he said. "Five minutes ago, I thought I'd scared you away forever, and now… I can't believe this is really happening! It's really happening, right? You're really here, and you asked me to marry you?"

"And you said 'yes,' if I'm not mistaken," she smiled.

"I'm pretty sure about that part," he smiled back. "Oh, Elsa…" He embraced her again.

She felt bad for him for some reason. She almost felt like she was using him! He was nearly overcome with passion for her, and she felt little or nothing for him. She'd probably have to sit down and talk with him about it someday soon. But not now. This was a time of celebrating – the Queen had finally found her Prince-Consort – and potentially depressing chats like that could wait for another day.

They finally said "good night." She retired to her royal suite, and he knew the way to his familiar guest room. It took both of them quite a while to fall asleep that night.

Early the next day, messengers went out to all the nobles of Arendelle, informing them that an extremely important matter had come up, and they needed to attend a special Council meeting that afternoon. Count Duku was at sea, trying out a yacht he wished to buy, but the others all responded that they would be there.

When the four royals met in the hallway before breakfast, Elsa started to introduce her new fiancée to Anna and Kristoff, but somehow, they already knew all about it. The Prince and Princess still had to congratulate the happy couple, which slightly embarrassed them but didn't really bother them that much.

"You only did it because you couldn't stand the thought of me outranking you," Kristoff teased him.

"Huh?" Anders wondered.

"Well, I'm a prince now. If you'd stayed a baron, I'd get the best seats at the dining table and the Council table. But once you're the Prince-Consort, _you'll_ get to sit next to the Queen all the time."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that's right. I hadn't thought of that."

"Are you really that oblivious, Anders?" Anna marveled. "You didn't realize you'll take a giant step up in rank when you marry the Queen? What _were_ you thinking about?"

"The Queen," he said without hesitation. "Just her." Elsa blushed, but felt relief inside. His obliviousness to rank might be one of his most endearing qualities, especially in contrast to the other nobles, who could think of nothing _but_ rank.

"So… what are you going to do to celebrate?" Anna asked pointedly.

Anders and Elsa looked at each other blankly. "We haven't planned anything yet," she said.

"You _have_ to!" Anna burst out. "This is one of the biggest occasions of your life! You have to do something special! Maybe a nice sea cruise up the coast –"

"No," Elsa said firmly. "_No_ sea cruise. Period."

"Okay. No sea cruise." Anna looked a bit taken aback. "That really cuts down your options."

"If it was winter, I'd offer to take you on a sled tour of the countryside with Sven," Kristoff offered.

"I like the concept. How about a carriage tour?" Anders wondered. "We could see the whole kingdom, stop in a different little village every night, meet all the people… I could show you my barony, too. What do you think, Elsa? I mean, Your Highness? I mean… what am I supposed to call you now?"

"I guess that depends on whether we're in public or alone, and who else is around if we're in public," she said with a touch of frustration. Why did this have to be so complicated? "I like the carriage-tour idea."

"Perfect!" Anna exclaimed. "I'll start making the arrangements. Now let's go get some breakfast." They descended the grand staircase, two by two, and filed into the informal dining room.

"Good morning, Your Highness, Your Excellencies," Gerda greeted them. Even though she was no longer responsible for cooking in the palace, she stayed close to the kitchen to keep an eye on things, and made it her job to greet all the palace's residents and guests when they came to dine. "We weren't expecting you, Baron Anders, but it's always good to see you again. I'll make sure your place is properly set."

"There's going to be a slight change in the seating arrangements, Gerda," Elsa said, trying to sound casual. "Anders will be dining at my right hand. Permanently."

"Permanently?" Gerda wondered. It took her a second; then her face lit up. "You mean you… did you… are you…?" They both turned slightly red and nodded. Gerda forgot all her royal protocols and hugged the Queen, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Elsa, Your Highness, that's wonderful! I wish you all the best! Congratulations, Baron… except you're going to be _Prince_ Anders now, right? Oh, you should have told me about this earlier – I would have had something _special_ prepared for breakfast! Maybe it's not too late." She bustled out of the dining room and ran for the kitchen, drying her eyes as she went.

Breakfast was uneventful, except for a steady flow of servants who wanted to get a glimpse of the future Prince-Consort to the Queen. Nearly all of them had seen him before; maybe they thought he'd look different somehow, now that he was engaged to their beloved sovereign. Elsa spent the morning attending to minor matters of state, while Anders began looking for a suitable engagement ring for his bride-to-be. Lunch was equally uneventful.

They nearly had their first disagreement as they walked to the Council chamber. "Elsa… Your Highness… whatever… I don't think it's right to seat me on your right hand in Council meetings yet. I'm still just a baron."

"Maybe you won't get your formal promotion until after the wedding," Elsa replied, "but you're betrothed to me now, and it pleases me to seat you there. I like having you near me, and I can't _wait_ to see the looks on those nobles' faces!"

"Very well," he nodded with a trace of a smile. "I live to serve the Queen."

When the other nobles arrived in the Council chamber, they found Queen Elsa, Baron Anders, and Kai in their usual seats. They were puzzled to see that Prince Kristoff and Princess Anna had each moved down a seat, leaving the place of honor vacant. The Queen had called for a special meeting; perhaps a visiting head of state was about to join them? The mystery would certainly be solved soon, so they took their places and waited for Her Highness to begin the meeting.

"Before we get to the main point of this meeting, I have a question for you," Elsa said, speaking to the Duchess of Potet. "The last time we met, you were in the act of bringing some serious charges against Baron Anders. I wish to know if you plan to continue, or if you intend to withdraw those accusations."

The Duchess thought for a moment. She remembered the Queen's rage; she wasn't sure she wanted a second helping of that. She glanced at the Duke, who wore a noncommittal expression. "Has the situation changed in any way, Your Highness?" she asked.

"It has," the Queen replied. "The baron intends to take a bride. Those accusations could make it difficult for him to pursue his chosen lady."

"Congratulations, Baron," Count Basi said. "We certainly don't wish to compromise your personal life. Is this young lady another promoted commoner, similar in rank to yourself?"

"No, Your Excellency, my chosen lady is of impeccable birth and breeding. I am sure no one here will have any complaints." Anna hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Perhaps she might be a good influence on you, then?" the Duke of Erl smirked.

"I do not doubt it, Your Excellency," Anders replied, desperately trying to keep a straight face.

"May we inquire as to her name and family?" Count Nelsen asked.

"Until the engagement is officially approved, I would rather not say."

The Duchess tried to figure out where the Queen's loyalties lay, and made her decision. "As the Count has suggested, we would not want to cause the baron any problems in such an important personal matter. Unless more facts come to light, I will admit that my source of information may have been wrong. I withdraw the charges I was making against him."

"Excellent. That pleases me," the Queen smiled. That made the Duchess smile as well – she'd guessed right and scored a point with the Queen! Elsa went on. "That brings us to the topic of this special meeting. Baron Anders? Please take your place."

All eyes were on him as he stood, crossed behind Kai, and walked up the right side of the table to the place of honor at the Queen's right hand.

The Duke was the first to complain. "Your Highness, I must protest! This showing of undeserved honor to a low-ranking nobleman is _extremely_ irregular, even if it is merely temporary!"

"I agree, Your Highness," Count Nelsen added. "I respectfully ask that you show greater respect for rank in this chamber."

"I also protest," said the Duchess, keeping her voice level. "I _very_ respectfully request that you explain this unusual behavior."

"Very well," smiled the Queen. "I'll explain, although the answer should be obvious. The baron _did_ say he is taking a bride, did he not? A lady of impeccable birth and breeding?" She stopped and waited to see who would figure it out first. Princess Anna was on the verge of laughing out loud, even though she'd known the plan in advance, because she'd helped make it.

It was Count Nelsen who slapped his hands on the table and exclaimed, "No _way!_"

"Way," the Queen smiled.

"What are you talking about?" the Duchess demanded of the Count. Anna faced away from the table, stifling her laughter and desperately trying not to snork.

The Duke's jaw dropped. "You've got to be… I mean, is Your Highness serious?"

"Completely," she nodded. "Do you have a problem with that, Duke?" This was _fun!_

"N- n- no, Your Highness." Now Kristoff was working to keep a straight face at seeing the senior nobleman's cage so rattled.

Count Basi figured it out at the same time, and took a more opportunistic tack. "May I be the first in this chamber to offer you my congratulations?"

"You may," said the Queen graciously. That clue finally helped the Duchess figure out what was happening.

"Oh, my," was all she could say.

After a pause, Elsa wondered out loud, "Is that all the best wishes you offer your sovereign when she becomes engaged to be married?" Suddenly the nobles were falling all over themselves in their enthusiasm to wish their Queen well. They made quite a spectacle. They were also conspicuous in their _lack_ of congratulations for her husband-to-be. Anders didn't seem to mind; he was quite fixated on her. She didn't mind that as much as she thought she would.

She was doing things to the Council for his benefit that she never would have done for herself, no matter how much she might have longed to do it. She had to admit – it was kind of fun putting on a show for him. But there was one bit of serious business that had to be settled. She waited until the nobles had run out of nice things to say to her.

"As I said, it pleases me that all accusations against the Baron have been dropped," she said solemnly. "As you all know, the law requires the Nobles' Council to approve or disapprove when the ruling sovereign becomes engaged. Do any of you wish to disapprove of my choice of a Prince-Consort, and if so, why?" She had neatly backed them into a corner. They had just finished rejoicing with her over her engagement; would they dare to reverse themselves and speak against her fiancée, no matter how much they resented him?

They did not dare. They sat silently and tried to keep their expressions neutral as she looked pointedly at each of them in turn. Finally, she nodded. "Very well. Kai, please make a note – no objections were raised. My engagement is lawful and official. Ladies, gentlemen, thank you. You'll be informed of the wedding date as soon as we decide on it. Will any of you be staying for the formal presentation of the future Prince-Consort tonight?" She need not have asked. They all had pressing engagements elsewhere, and had to leave as soon as they could. She dismissed the meeting, but motioned for Kai to hold the door open after the nobles left. They didn't look behind them as they walked down the hall. Their comments were audible, and enlightening.

"We'll be outranked by _two_ jumped-up princes!"  
"The Queen is actually marrying her lap dog!"  
"Something needs to be done about that upstart!"  
"Once he's married to the queen, there isn't much we can do."  
"Who's going to tell Duku?"  
"Let him find out for himself. I wish I could see his reaction."  
"She's so young and inexperienced! How did we lose control of her?"

She turned back to Anders. "So, how do you like the view from this end of the table?"

He smiled at her. "I really like the view of the one who sits at the end."

"That's not what I meant!" she sputtered. Having a love-struck man around was going to take some getting used to.

Anders spent the rest of the afternoon with the royal tailor. Elsa wanted him to look his best for the presentation, but he hadn't brought any really nice clothing with him. The fastest solution was for him to wear one of the suits that had belonged to Elsa's father. The two men were the same height, but Anders was much thinner, so the tailor had to take the suit in, in many places. The results were impressive, though. Elsa and Anna both checked him out and gave him their full approval. Kristoff just shook his head.

"You look a lot more comfortable in that monkey suit than I feel in mine," he said with feeling.

"It comes with practice," Anders said encouragingly. "You'll get used to it. Eventually."

The word had gone out across Arendelle that the Queen would make a very important announcement that evening. Expectant crowds filled the palace courtyard as six o'clock drew near. Kai stepped out onto the second-floor balcony as the three royals and the new royal-to-be waited just inside.

As the clock finished striking six, the major-domo spoke. "Ladies, gentlemen, good people of Arendelle! I give you Her Majesty the Queen... Queen Elsa!" He stepped aside as the sovereign stepped forward, to scattered cheers and much applause.

"Thank you," she began. "My people, I have an announcement to make. I'd like Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff to stand beside me as I make this announcement." Her sister and brother-in-law stepped out and stood to her left as she continued. "When I accepted this crown, I made promises about what kind of queen I would be. I promised that I would obey and promote the laws of Arendelle, seek justice for all, show no favoritism, and be a queen that you could all be proud of. I have tried my best to keep those promises. But I made one promise that I have not been able to keep... yet.

"That promise was to give you an heir to the throne. To keep that promise, I had to find a worthy Prince-Consort." A low buzz spread through the crowd as the quick-witted ones figured out where this was going.

"Tonight, I would like to introduce someone to you. This man has become very dear to me, and I hope he will become dear to you as well. He will soon be your Prince, my Prince-Consort, and my husband." People began to clap... and Elsa was unable to go on. This was the first time she'd used the "H" word in reference to Anders. The reality of the commitment she'd made suddenly hit her between the eyes. She leaned on the balcony rail to steady herself. Anna looked at her worriedly. Elsa made a head gesture that was supposed to mean, "You do it," and the message got across.

Anna stepped up and exclaimed, "Give it up for the Queen's new fiancée, our own Baron Anders of the Northeast Barony!" Anders stepped out and stood next to the Queen, nervously giving the crowd a royal wave (just an upraised white-gloved hand, no wiggling of the fingers or anything like that) as they roared their approval. Their future Prince-Consort wasn't particularly good-looking or famous, but he was one of them, not a stranger from another country, and they heartily approved of that. He quickly used his left hand to cling to the handrail.

Elsa finally found her voice and quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

"If I had cold powers, I'd probably be making a blizzard right about now," he murmured back.

"Then _I'd_ have to settle _you _down," she replied with a small smile. "Fair is fair."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thawing Together** Chapter 14

Anna had done a wonderful job of arranging the happy couple's carriage tour of Arendelle. She'd planned a route, sent messengers to each town to warn them that the Queen and the future Prince-Consort were coming, prepared a special carriage and horses, and chosen the most reliable coachmen and grooms and... guards?

"Anna, do you really think we need Palace Guards riding along with us?" Anders was getting accustomed to calling Anna and Kristoff by their first names instead of "Your Excellency," mostly because they insisted on it, but that didn't mean he agreed with everything they said.

"It's quite common for the Queen to have a small honor guard when she travels," Anna replied. "She doesn't always have guards, but... well, Kristoff will tell you."

Kristoff nodded. "I've heard that there are people in the outlands who distrust the Queen's power. There are places where they still call her the Bringer of Winter, and you'll be traveling through those places. It's best to be ready for anything."

"Four well-dressed men on horseback won't ruin your tour for you, will they?" Anna wondered.

"I guess not," Anders nodded reluctantly. "I was... kind of hoping to get some... you know, personal time alone with Elsa."

"Nope," Anna replied with a wagging finger. "None of that! No smooching the Queen in public, even after you're married. That's not how royalty behaves." She sighed. "Believe me, I understand. We had to go through that, too. It almost caused a scandal when Kristoff kissed me after he got his new sled. You have to be perfectly correct when you're out in public. It's part of the price you pay for the crown that you'll wear."

"I think I'd trade that crown for a day alone with my fiancée," Anders said ruefully. "She's been so busy doing queen things, I haven't seen her in days, except at meals."

"That's normal too," Kristoff reassured him. "I think a royal engagement is for everybody's benefit except the royals. You'll get your time alone with her! But in the meantime, you have to wait."

"You'd better!" Anna added firmly.

The day finally came when the engaged couple climbed into their white carriage, rode out of the courtyard across the bridge, and began their tour of the kingdom. They were accompanied by a coachman driving the two horses, a groom riding on the back of the carriage, two guards in their dress uniforms riding ahead of them, and two more behind them. It was a little bit awkward at first; they weren't even sure how close to each other they were supposed to sit, or whether they should hold hands. He tried to break the ice by asking questions about the scenery they saw. She knew just as little about most of the scenery as he did; her focus had always been on people and on important places.

They finally found common ground in Anders' humorous stories. They passed a herd of cattle being driven to market, and one of them had no horns; that reminded Elsa of the first joke Anders had ever told her. She encouraged him to tell her some more, and he knew plenty of them. They were soon enjoying their ride and their time together without any self-consciousness. All Anders cared about was that his Elsa was laughing; he loved that sound more than any other.

They had almost reached the little town of Liten Landsby, the destination for their first day's travel, when the head guard signaled for a halt. "Is something wrong?" the coachman asked.

"There's no sign of a royal welcome," the guard answered. "There are no signs up ahead, no banners, no people lining the road... they haven't even cleaned up the edges of the road to make it look neat! Something is wrong."

"They know we're coming, right?" Anders asked. "The Princess sent messages to all the towns we're going to visit – I saw the list of the towns."

"Could the secretary have written the wrong date on this town's message?" Elsa wondered.

"I guess it's possible," he nodded. "If the Queen shows up and they don't know she's coming, their burgomeister is going to have a heart attack! Someone needs to go into town and give them a little advance warning." He turned to the chief guard. "Can one of your men ride into town and tell them what to expect?"

"I'd like to, Baron," the guard apologized, "but my men and I aren't well-versed in arranging royal visits. I don't know what we'd tell them."

"All right, I'll tell them," Anders decided as he stood up.

"Please, watch your step!" Elsa asked him as he stepped down from the carriage... straight into a three-inch-deep mud puddle. He stepped out and shook most of the mud off his boots.

"I guess I'll get these cleaned up tonight," he said absently. "It will take me at least half an hour to get to town, find the burgomeister, and explain the basics of how to greet a queen. Then we ought to give them another half an hour to get organized. So you all might as well stand at ease and relax – you're going to be here for a while." He set off resolutely down the road. Walking didn't bother him; he did it all the time in his barony. He just felt bad for the leaders of the town, who were going to panic when he told them who was waiting on the outskirts of their village.

The town was about ten minutes away on foot. A few people were walking around here and there, but the guard was right – there were no signs of a royal welcome at all. He asked a young girl where to find the burgomeister, and she pointed him to a house near the town's inn. Evidently, he had interrupted the man's early supper; he had a napkin tucked around his neck and a chicken leg in his hand when he answered the door.

"May I help you, sir?" Anders was sure he didn't present a very imposing picture, with his traveling clothes and his muddy boots.

"My name is Anders, and I serve the Queen," he began. "Has your town received notice that the Queen will visit soon?"

"Yes," said the burgomeister. "She is scheduled to arrive a month from today. I assure you, she will be welcomed with all appropriate ceremony."

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, sir," Anders said apologetically, "but that message was in error. Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting your town today."

"_WHAT?!_" The man's eyes bugged out of his head in panic.

"Whoever wrote that message wrote the wrong month. Her carriage is outside the town, waiting for me to tell them it's okay to proceed."

"Oh, no," the man moaned. "Oh, _no!_ What am I going to do? We have nothing ready! _Nothing!_ I haven't even brushed up on my royal protocols yet! This is a disaster! What am I going to _do?_"

"Sir! Please – if I may, I can steer you in the right direction."

The burgomeister knew a lifeline when he saw one. "Yes, yes, please! Any help you can give, I'll take it!"

"Okay. For starters, the Queen is not a protocol monster. Basic good manners are all you'll need. Just line the streets with whoever you can round up on short notice; they don't have to wear fancy clothing. If some of the children can wave flags or hold flowers, that will make the crowd look nice. When the Queen gets out of her carriage, have the people line up to greet her. It's customary to bow or curtsy over her hand and say something pleasant like, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.' The children will probably say whatever is on their minds, but don't worry about that – Her Highness has a good sense of humor.

"We will dine in your inn tonight; we'll mix with whoever else is there, and we'll eat whatever your cook has prepared for the night. There are eight of us – Her Majesty the Queen, myself, two servants, and four guards. We'll probably need four rooms for the night; they need not be fancy as long as they're clean." He glanced at his feet. "And I will need the services of a bootblack," he sighed.

"What about in the morning?" the burgomeister asked nervously.

"We'll talk about that tonight," Anders said. "Let's get through the arrival first. Can you have a small crowd ready in, say, half an hour?"

"Yes... yes, I think we can do that." He pumped Anders's hand vigorously. "Thank you so much for your help! I'll be sure to tell Her Majesty that you're a fine servant!"

"Thank you, sir," Anders smiled. "I'll leave you to your preparations. Oh, wait – there are two other things you need to know.

"One: do the best you can, but _don't_ get stressed over it. Her Highness would _much_ rather meet a small, disorganized, happy group than a well-organized meeting party who are stressed and upset.

"Two: you may have heard of Her Highness' special talent with cold things. She may do some simple tricks with snow and ice to amuse the people. Don't panic; winter won't come back until it's supposed to."

"Thank you, Anders." The burgomeister's gratitude was heartfelt.

"Well, I need to get back to Her Highness' carriage. We'll see you in about half an hour. Remember – try to relax!" He turned and retraced his steps to the carriage, where his fiancée was waiting for him.

"It was pretty much as we foresaw – the announcement had the wrong month on it, and they panicked," he reported as he swung up into his seat. "I gave them some basic advice, and I think they'll take it. We'll give them another twenty minutes or so, and then we'll make our entrance."

To his surprise, Elsa wanted to know more details of what he'd said, and what the burgomeister was like, and what the town looked like. He expected that kind of curiosity from Anna, but it was unusual for Elsa.

"That's simple," she smiled when he commented on it. "When we get back, Anna is going to want to know _every_ detail of _everything_ that happened, so I might as well get those details into my head now. She won't take 'I don't remember' for an answer."

By the time he'd told and retold the story in enough detail to satisfy Elsa (and Anna), their twenty minutes had passed and it was time to enter the town. The coachman and the guards flicked their reins, and the small procession got moving. It took them only five minutes to reach the town.

Both sides of the street were lined with an assortment of townspeople in wildly diverse garb, from dirty farm clothes to semi-formalwear. Everyone waved; a few of them had found flags and banners on short notice. The Queen and the Baron waved back royally. When Elsa noticed a quintet of children standing together, she wiggled her fingers and created an inanimate Olaf right in front of them. That amazed them and made them laugh, which was exactly what she had in mind.

The people's greetings were unpolished but heartfelt. After everyone had had the chance to speak to the Queen, they retired to the inn for supper. The menu consisted of mutton stew, fresh-baked bread with cheese, and goats' milk – not fancy, but quite tasty. The burgomeister tried to apologize for the non-royal quality of the meal, but Elsa wouldn't hear of it.

When Anders excused himself for a few minutes, the burgomeister approached the Queen again. "Your Highness, I want to take a moment to express my thankfulness for the help your servant gave us in getting this ceremony together on short notice. You ought to reward him in some special way; he did a superb job for us, and for you."

"My servant?" she asked, puzzled.

"Anders, the man who sits next to you. I assume he is your major-domo?"

"Is that what he told you?" she wondered.

"He just said his name is Anders and he serves the Queen. He certainly does that, Your Highness. Extremely well."

"I might need to wring his neck," Elsa said quietly. At the burgomeister's shocked expression, she turned to face him. "That's not my major-domo. That's Baron Anders, my fiancée! He's the future Prince-Consort!" His face changed from shock to horror. "Oh, I don't blame _you,_ burgomeister. If he didn't tell you, it's not your fault. But it's time he started acting according to his new rank."

"Honestly, Your Highness, I had no idea! I didn't know he was _that_ Anders! He just acted so normal, so friendly, I had no idea he was a nobleman! I'm sorry, that came out wrong. But I didn't mean to treat him like a commoner, honestly, Your Highness! I meant no offense! I didn't –"

"Please relax," Anders said from behind him, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're all doing fine. Don't get stressed." The burgomeister went rigid, then saw something on the other side of the room that needed his attention and hurried off.

"Anders, is it true that you didn't tell him who you are?" Elsa demanded.

"I didn't see how that made any difference," he replied as he took his seat. "The poor man had enough to worry about; he didn't need to know a future prince was knocking on his door."

"Anders... I hate to sound like the Duke, but there _is _such a thing as royal dignity!" she sighed. "You are going to be the Prince-Consort to the Queen of Arendelle! It's time you stopped living and acting like a wool trader, and accepted your new position in life."

He started to argue, but stopped himself. Her fork was beginning to frost over. She really looked upset, and he wanted to avoid that. But – he realized – it wasn't because he was afraid she'd throw a snowstorm. It was because it genuinely bothered him to see her upset. His life was becoming bound up with hers, and his happiness with hers.

"I'll try," he said quietly. "It won't happen quickly; I've been acting like a wool trader all my life. But I want to please you, so I'll try."

Elsa looked startled. "I didn't expect you to surrender that quickly. What's the catch?"

"There's no catch," he smiled. "I love you, and I want to make you happy. That's more important to me than a set of clothes, or a way of talking, or even a way of thinking. Just remind me when I start going wool-trader on you. It might take me a while to change for keeps."

She stared at him in surprise. She still wasn't used to him reacting to her this way. As he watched, the frost crystals on her fork melted away. She touched the back of his hand. "Thank you, Anders. I appreciate that." He smiled and returned to his meal. It took her a few seconds before she regained her composure enough to do the same.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thawing Together** Chapter 15

They all slept soundly; the beds in the inn were old and cozy, and the rooms were just cool enough for perfect sleeping. Anders opened his door in the morning to find his boots cleaned and shined to perfection. They enjoyed a pleasant breakfast, in spite of many interruptions from people who had missed the Queen's arrival the previous night, or who wanted to see her again. One cute little blonde girl came with her mother and older sister to greet Elsa, then ran back after the other two had left. There was something important on her mind.

"Do you have a husband?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I will soon," Elsa smiled.

"Are you going to tell him what to do? Or is _he _going to tell _you?_"

Anders nearly choked on his hot cocoa. Elsa answered, "I really don't know. I think there might be a little of both before we're done."

"Oh," the girl nodded solemnly, and ran back to rejoin her family.

Anders scooted his chair a bit closer to Elsa. "I have a really hard time imagining _me_ telling _you_ what to do."

"You already have," she shrugged. "You've done it a few times in Council meetings. That's not the same as ordering me around, of course."

"Of course," he nodded, and took another bite of his bacon.

The people gathered to wish them well as they climbed back into the carriage. The crowd was bigger this time, now that word had spread about the royal visit, and about the true identity of the man riding next to the Queen. It took them a few minutes to say farewell to everyone; then the coachman called, "Git up!" and the horses got them moving.

As they pulled out of town, they saw a man running down the hill towards them, carrying something. "He must have missed us in town," Anders noted.

"Stop the carriage," Elsa called. "It won't hurt us to greet one more subject." Anders nodded.

As the man ran towards them, Anders stared. "I think I know that man." A moment later, the man stopped, lifted his object over his head with both hands, screamed "_Death__ to the winter witch!_" and hurled it at them. It was round, black, and part of it was sparking and hissing.

"_Get down!_" Anders screamed. Elsa pointed and launched a jet of cold at the flying bomb, to encase it in ice and hopefully put out its fuse. She missed!

He stood up and batted at the bomb underhanded; he meant to send it flying off into the woods. But it was a lot heavier than he realized, and he batted it straight up. The guards had scattered and were trying to catch the bomb-thrower; the coachman and groom were trying to scramble under the carriage; he might have time to join them... but he threw himself on top of Elsa, who was frozen in place with fear. Then there was a huge roar, something hit him hard in the back of the head, and –

**o**

Anna and Kristoff were in the palace library with a weaver, describing the wall coverings she wanted for their room, when a servant knocked hastily and burst in. "Your Excellencies, I'm sorry, but we've just gotten an urgent message from the Queen! She needs you in Liten Landsby immediately!"

They glanced at each other. "What could have happened?" Kristoff asked.

"I don't know," Anna exclaimed, "but she wouldn't send for us when she's on her engagement tour unless something was _very _wrong." They apologized to the weaver and left the sitting room at a dignified walk. Less than ten minutes later, a horse, a reindeer, and two riders left the palace at a full gallop.

They arrived in Liten Landsby a few hours later. They found Queen Elsa standing outside a room of the inn, wringing her hands and pacing back and forth, freezing the ground wherever she stepped. She wasn't crying, but she wasn't far from it, either. A few bystanders kept their respectful distance.

"Elsa, what's wrong? What happened?" Anna begged her.

The Queen's voice was shaky. "A man ran up to us... he cursed me, and threw a bomb at us! Anders jumped on top of me to protect me. The coachman and one of the guards were hurt, but they're all up and about. The other guards captured the man and took him away." She siezed Anna's hands, and her tears spilled over. "Anders is hurt! The nurse has been in there for hours! No one will tell me anything!"

"If a nurse is handling it by herself, then that's good news, right?" Kristoff asked. "I mean, if it was a matter of life and death, they'd summon a doctor, wouldn't they?"

"I think there's more to it than Anders' condition," Anna said. "Elsa, how about you and me stepping into the woods where no one can see us, and we'll have a quick little talk." Elsa nodded mutely and allowed her sister to lead her across the street into a small patch of woods. Snow began falling around them.

"Talk to me, Elsa. You told me you don't have feelings for this man; something else is pushing you over the edge."

"Anna, he _knew_ it was a bomb! He had time to jump to safety, but he protected me instead!" The wind began swirling the snowflakes around. "What is it about me? Why do people keep throwing themselves in front of death for me?"

"Those people must think you're really special," Anna said.

"But I'm _not!_ I've _hurt _people! I made the entire kingdom _miserable!_ Why do people keep loving me so much? I don't deserve it!" She turned away crying. Anna tried to hold her, but her sister pushed her away. "It doesn't make sense, Anna! It doesn't make sense!"

"Elsa, love _never_ makes sense! Nobody ever woke up in the morning thinking, 'Today's the day I'm going to get myself in a total tizzy over someone who might not even appreciate it.' It's irrational, it's wild, it's crazy... it just happens! Don't try and figure it out. Just accept it! It's an amazing, wonderful gift he's offering you. He wants you to take it, so take it! Do you think refusing his love is what he wants you to do?"

"I don't know," Elsa sobbed, and finally let Anna hold her. "I don't think I know anything anymore. If love is so wonderful, then why am I so confused?"

"Maybe it's because you're fighting it?" Anna said softly.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," Elsa sniffled. "Or how I'm supposed to do it." The snowfall was easing off; the wind had already died to nothing. They heard approaching footsteps. It was Kristoff.

"I don't want to interrupt your sister time," he said to Elsa with a trace of embarrassment, "but Anders is awake and he's calling for you." She was off like a shot; the other two had trouble keeping up with her.

Anders was lying on his stomach in bed, covered by blankets. The nurse by the door started to explain his condition, but Elsa nearly pushed her out of the way to get to her fiancée's bedside.

He was obviously in pain, but he smiled when he saw her. His first words were, "Are you okay?"

She almost cried again. "You stubborn, wonderful man! How can you worry about _me _at a time like this?"

"There isn't a scratch on her," Anna said from the door.

"Thank heavens," he sighed. "I was so afraid you'd gotten hurt by that madman's bomb."

"What about you?" Elsa demanded.

"My brain hurts," he said quietly.

"He was hit in four places," the nurse tried again. "Once in the back of the head, once in his back, once in the leg, and once in a place that will make it hard for him to sit. None of them were life-threatening injuries. Still, he'll have to stay right here until he's fit to travel."

"How long is that going to take?" Elsa asked.

"He'll be fine in a week or so, Your Highness," the nurse said. "He'll walk, he'll ride, and he'll dance with you at your wedding reception. Right now, he needs rest more than anything else. I have to ask all of you to leave."

"Wait... before you go," he said weakly. "Tell the guards I know the man who threw the bomb. He's from my barony. His name is Steinar Brevik. He's the one who said I cheated him."

"I'll tell them," Elsa promised. "Please, rest and get better."

"I'm just glad you're okay," he sighed as the nurse closed the door.

Outside the inn, Elsa turned away from her sister and brother-in-law. "What is _wrong _with that man?" she sobbed. "He could have been _killed,_ and all he can think about is _me!_"

Anna looked up at Kristoff. "She just doesn't get it. What can we do for her?"

Kristoff looked thoughtful, then smiled. "Maybe it's her turn to visit the love experts."

"No," Elsa said softly. "I'm not leaving here."

"There's nothing you can do here for the rest of the day, Your Highness," Kristoff urged her. "He has to rest, and you can't help him do that. The Valley of the Living Rocks is only about an hour's easy ride from here; you can ride with your sister, and I've got Sven. We'll be back long before supper, and maybe you can see him then."

"Elsa, please come with us," Anna added. "The trolls were right about me and Kristoff, and they were right about your power. Maybe they can answer some of the questions that are making you so unhappy. It's like Kristoff said – there isn't much else you can do today."

Elsa finally yielded. They took a long, relaxing ride through the country until they arrived at that peculiar stepped valley filled with round gray rocks. It took Kristoff a few seconds to get their attention; then he was mobbed by rocks that unrolled into trolls wearing colorful glowing stones. "It's Kristoff!" "Kristoff is back!" they shouted.

"He brought a pretty girl!"

"He brought _two_ pretty girls!"

"He brought the same two pretty girls as last time!"

"Kristoff, haven't you made up your mind yet?" his foster-mother Bulda fussed.

"Oh, I made up my mind," he smiled, and wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulders. "I made the best choice."

Anna was suddenly surrounded by curious, enthusiastic trolls, standing on top of each other so they could check her out. "Natural hair color – check!" "Healthy body-mass index – check!" "Huge Disney-princess eyes – check!" "Nice clothing – check!" A tiny troll exclaimed, "Hey, she's wearing a ring! That means she's a troll-in-law!"

Bulda took Kristoff to task. "If you're married, Kristoff, then what are you doing running around with two girls at once? There are rules about these things, you know."

"For one thing, Elsa is Anna's sister," Kristoff began. All the trolls chorused, "Oh-h-h!" and nodded and smiled at each other. Kristoff went on, "And for another thing, Elsa has a problem she needs some help with."

"What kind of a problem?" asked a young male troll.

"A man problem," Kristoff answered. All the trolls who had been surrounding Kristoff and Anna suddenly scooted around to surround Elsa, who had been standing to the side, trying to look inconspicuous. Again, they stood on each other's shoulders to examine the visitor.

"Natural hair color – check!" "Healthy body-mass index – check!" "Huge Disney-princess eyes – check!" "Nice – I mean ice clothing – check!"

"So where's the man?" Bulda demanded.

"That's the problem," Anna suggested. "Everyone thinks she's found the right man, especially him, but not her."

"Oh! We all know how _that _song goes!" exclaimed Bulda.

"So you have got yourself a man  
"Who gives all the love he can.  
"He adores you and he loves to see you smile.  
"You tried 'conceal and don't you feel it,'  
"But if _you_ want love that's real, it's  
"Going to take some honest feelings that have been there all the while.

"So you're a bit of a picky lover?  
"You want to understand.  
"His peculiar brain, dear, is causing you pain, dear,  
" 'Cause his love is not something you had planned.

"So you're a bit of a picky lover,  
"The one who he thinks of?  
"You will pick this picky lover up if you give yourself to love!"

"But there's more to it than that!" Elsa protested. "He loves me so much... I don't deserve it!"

"We've heard _that _one before, too!" called Cliff, an older male troll.

"So if you think that you observe  
"You're getting more than you deserve,  
"May we remind you – love is not a thing you earn?"

("She really needs to know that!" Anna interjected.)

"If it's a gift that's freely given,  
"Just receive it as you're livin';  
"It can bring you both to heaven – don't you be concerned!

"So you're a bit of a picky lover.  
"You think it isn't fair?  
"His adoration for the queen of the nation's an indication you'll be a pair!

"So you're a bit of a picky lover.  
"Don't put him on a shelf.  
"Just let your picked-out lover love 'til you're loving him yourself!"

"Until... _I'm_ loving him?" Elsa didn't think the trolls were clarifying things at all. Bulda took her by the hand.

"Don't ask who arranged this – true love can't be arranged.  
"We're only saying love's not always an even, fair exchange.  
"You've made bad decisions, and some good, like all the rest.  
"Just let him give his love away (let him give his love away) and you will both be blessed!  
"You will both be blessed!"

All the trolls joined in for the big finish.

"We're all a bit of a picky lover.  
"There can't be any doubt.  
"We only know of, one thing that can grow love.  
"Just let yourself go down that route!

"We're all a bit of a picky lover,  
"Sure as the sky is above.  
"You're lucky he's a lover who can love a picky lover 'til you (you – you – you) love!"

Elsa was visibly frustrated. "I still don't understand."

Kristoff noticed an unusually large rock rolling their way. "Grand Pabbie! Can you explain it to her?"

The chief stopped right next to the Queen, who crouched down so she didn't tower over him. He gave her a look that was both quizzical and kind at the same time.

"I sense a new control in you," he began. "You've begun to receive love again, and that has given you some mastery over your power. But the work will not be complete as long as the source of your control comes from outside you. You've spent your life avoiding strong feelings like fear and hate, but you have also shut out other strong feelings like joy and love. As my tribe has said, 'conceal, don't feel' will never work, because you're a human, and humans have feelings."

"But... can I love him? _Really _love him?" Elsa stammered. "I don't think I could ever love as much as Anders, or Anna."

"You can, Elsa. You already do," the Grand Pabbie said softly. "Search your memories. When that other man made an attempt on your life, who were you most worried about? When Anders accepted your proposal, weren't you most worried that you were being unfair to _him?_ He is the center of your concerns, and he can be the center of your heart as well, if you're willing to let him go there."

"I think I understand... sort of," Elsa said hesitantly.

"He means stop looking for warm fuzzy feelings and shooting stars in the night," Anna burst out. "I had to learn the hard way – that's not true love! Your way of loving Anders isn't going to be like anyone else's way of loving, but that doesn't mean love isn't there. You're already trying to put his needs above your own; you just need a little more practice, that's all."

The Grand Pabbie turned to Anna, surprised. "You might be more of a love expert than you realize." He returned his kindly gaze to Elsa. ""Don't try to love like Anna. Don't try to love like Anders. Just love like Elsa. Receiving love is the beginning, but you won't know the full power of love until you give it as well."

She put her hands to her temples. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not," Anna said, trying not to sound discouraging. "Love takes work. None of us were born knowing how to do it, or how to show it. We learn as we go along. Your learning got put 'on hold' for years, but it's never too late to start again." She rested her hand on her sister's arm. "You can do it, Elsa. I know you can. You can love him, and make him happy, and allow him to make _you _happy. Maybe it won't happen today, but it _will _happen."

They heard a sudden rumbling from all around them. When they looked up, there were no more trolls, only dozens of round gray rocks. "I guess the family reunion's over," Kristoff commented.

"But I had so many other questions I wanted to ask!" Elsa lamented.

"I think they've answered the most important ones," Anna said. "If they told us everything, that would take all the mystery out of life." After a few thoughtful seconds, they returned to their mounts and rode back home in silence.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thawing Together** Chapter 16

When they got back to the village, the nurse was just leaving Anders' room. Elsa rushed up to her. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"He seems to be healing well," the nurse answered, "but he has a terrible headache. That's not a surprise, seeing how he got hit in the head with a thick piece of iron. I'd put an ice pack on it, but this village has no ice it can share. Maybe we'll receive more in two or three days, and if we do, he'll be first in line to get some."

"I can get him some ice faster than that," Kristoff burst out. "I have friends in the business."

"Thank you, Kristoff," Elsa said kindly, "but I'd like to handle this one."

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot. Of course," Kristoff nodded sheepishly.

Else slipped quietly into the room. Anders was still lying on his stomach. He smiled and came fully alert when he saw her, and immediately winced in pain. "Did you ever try to lie perfectly still for hours? It's hard."

"The nurse tells me your head hurts," Elsa said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Big-time," he said.

She traced her fingertip around the edges of the bandage on the back of his head. A thin coating of ice appeared; she thickened it and spread it across the entire back of his head. "Mmmm," Anders purred, and closed his eyes. "That feels better already. Thank you."

"Should one of us get you a towel?" Anna called from the doorway. "You don't want to soak his mattress when that ice melts."

"It won't melt unless I let it," Elsa said quietly.

Anna didn't ask how long her sister planned to stay there. They got some supper platters from the dining area and brought them to Elsa and Anders, then ate their own meals in the dining area, chatting with the locals. They visited the room once more, just before they said goodbye.

"We have to get back to the capital before it gets dark," Anna explained. "Somebody has to run the kingdom while the queen is away."

"Thank you for coming out here for me," Elsa replied. The sisters hugged, and Anna and Kristoff rode back to the palace. Elsa stayed with Anders until she couldn't stay awake any longer, then retired to her own room.

The next few days went by in pretty much the same way. Elsa didn't wait on her fiancée – there _was_ such a thing as royal dignity – but she saw to it that his needs were met, and she stayed with him as much as she could. She provided him with a fresh ice pack whenever he needed one, for which he was very thankful. On the second day, they were visited by the doctor who cared for the royal family; he confirmed that the nurse had done a good job stitching up Anders' injuries.

After he left, she pulled a chair over next to the bed and sat down. "Anders, there's something we need to talk about."

He looked up at her. "I seem to be going nowhere, so I'm all ears."

"Please be serious – this is important." She took a deep breath. "I know you love me; I have no doubt of that at all. But you have to know... I don't feel the same way."

His eyes went wide with horror. "Are you breaking it off between us?"

"No, _no!_ That's _not _what I meant!" she exclaimed. "I'm just trying to say... I want you to know... I can't give you back the kind of love you're giving me. I have to be honest with you about this."

He breathed out a huge, shaking sigh of relief. "Honesty is good," he began. "I kind of guessed that you didn't have much in the way of feelings for me. You've been kind, you've been nice, but when you never say anything like, 'I love you too,' that's kind of a clue.

"I know this will be a marriage of convenience for you. I was there at your coronation; I heard your vows, and I know what's expected of you." He chuckled. "Actually, I'm in the same position. Barons are supposed to produce heirs, too. In fact, my position is worse, because once we're married, I'll live in the palace, and Northeast will lose its baron altogether."

He took her hand and held it. "Don't feel bad, Elsa. I think I've got enough love for the both of us. I'd be thrilled if you learned to love me some day, and let me make you as happy as you're making me. But if you don't, it's okay. I went into this with my eyes open, I knew how it would be, and I'm not sorry."

"Even though you got hit by a bomb?" she marveled.

"That might be for the best," he said with the barest trace of a smile. "If I ever tell you I love you more than life itself, and you don't believe me, I can show you my scars, and then you'll know." Her eyes watered up; she ran out of the room, across the road into the woods, and wept. What was _wrong _with that man?

On the third day, Kristoff rode out with a packet of trade-agreement documents from the Kingdom of Oslo that needed her signature. "These could have waited until you came back from your carriage tour, but as long as you're this close to the palace, you might as well sign them." That was the only thing she had to do all week. She had set this time aside to be with her fiancée, and he could do little except talk. Both of them were more comfortable listening than talking, but it would have been awfully quiet if they both listened at the same time, so they learned how to talk to each other.

The nurse visited several times a day, and said Anders's wounds were healing normally. On the fourth day, it was time for him to try walking again. He went very slowly, leaning hard on the cane that the burgomeister had found for him, and he didn't stay up long. "Those stitches in my leg were _not _put there for comfort," he announced. The nurse made him try again every few hours. He got better with practice. He didn't need the cane after the morning of the fifth day. On the seventh day, the nurse removed his stitches and cleared him to travel.

On the eighth day after the attack, a royal coach pulled up in front of the inn. The groom held the door open, and Elsa walked next to her husband-to-be as he limped from the room to the coach and carefully climbed inside. They returned to the capital at a sedate speed.

The streets were lined with cheering crowds. "Wow," Anders said quietly. "Maybe I should get hurt more often."

"It's not the fact that you got hurt," Elsa told him. "It's the fact that you saved my life."

"I did?" he wondered. "I thought my injuries weren't that serious."

"They weren't," she nodded, "because you took them face-down. I was lying face-up when the bomb went off. The fragment that hit you in the shoulder blade would have been very close to my heart, if you hadn't been there." She took a deep breath. "I suppose that means I owe you my heart." He smiled. She smiled back. He came very, _very _close to breaking the rule about no smooching the Queen in public. Royal dignity prevailed, but not by much.

Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff met the coach in the palace courtyard. "Welcome home, Baron," Anna smiled. "Your carriage tour wasn't the royal success story I was hoping for. Maybe you'll try again when you're all better?"

"My betrothed and I will discuss that," he replied, putting on a dignified-noble act that didn't fool anyone. "For now, I think I'm supposed to lie down and take it easy."

"That is correct, Your Excellency," Kai exclaimed as he fast-walked over to join the welcoming committee. "The doctor has given me a set of instructions for you to follow. Unfortunately, you will be unable to follow those instructions today."

"What do you mean, Kai?" Elsa asked.

"His Excellency the Baron needs to rest while he can," her major-domo replied. "In mid-afternoon, the man who threw the bomb at you goes on trial before the Nobles' Council, and His Excellency will be called as a witness."

Climbing that massive grand staircase to the guest room on the third floor was out of the question. After a quick discussion, the royal sitting room was temporarily turned into Anders' recovery room. He rested on a leather sofa until lunch time, then returned there until a servant informed him that he was wanted in the Council chamber.

A hearing like this was not conducted with a judge, jury, or lawyers. The queen presided; any of the nobles could call witnesses and question them. The accused also had the right to call and question witnesses, but Steinar had chosen not to do so. His responses to the nobles' questions were short and curt, almost rude. He provided very little useful information, so he waited while other witnesses were called.

Anders testified to what he had seen and heard that day. The coachman and groom of the carriage told very similar stories. Then the captain of the guard was called, and he had some information that was very interesting indeed.

"I examined the fragments of the bomb after it went off," he said. "It was made out of a cannon shell. Apparently, his powder was damp; a bomb of that size should have killed or badly hurt everyone within twenty feet when it went off. Also, I found this." He held out a twisted chunk of iron that was clearly stamped with a "W."

"What do you think the 'W' stands for, Captain?" Count Basi asked.

"I don't know for certain, Your Excellency. But it is common for cannonballs and similar weapons to be stamped with their place of origin. There is only one realm in this vicinity whose name starts with a 'W' and is big enough to cast its own cannonballs. That is Weselton."

"May I add something, Your Excellencies?" Anders asked urgently. "When I was in the Southern Isles a few months ago on a special trip, I learned a great deal of hearsay in the marketplaces. One of the things that the merchants were quite sure of, is that several realms are violating the trade embargo with Weselton. Two of them said that ships from Arendelle had been seen sailing in and out of their harbor."

All the nobles began giving each other dirty looks. So one of them had been breaking the law on the side, making forbidden trades in exchange for profits? But which one? Mistrust began to set in.

"Wait a minute!" Steinar shouted in his gravelly voice. "How do you know it wasn't the Baron himself who was trading with Weaseltown?"

"You can all examine my financial books, if you wish," Anders nodded. "But before you do that, ask yourselves: why would I buy a bomb from Weselton, and then give it to Steinar so he could try to kill me with it?"

"We know this Steinar comes from your own barony," Count Nelsen said. "What if he _was_ your co-conspirator? What if you were willing to gamble that the bomb would kill the Queen and you'd survive, so you could ascend to the throne?"

Basi, Princess Anna, and the Queen all angrily tried to rebuke Nelsen for making such an accusation. Anders stood awkwardly and motioned for silence. "First off, gambling my own life with a bomb would be unbelievably stupid, and while I know you don't think much of me, you've never called me stupid. Second, if I meant for the bomb to kill Elsa – I mean the Queen, then why did I throw myself on her to protect her? Third, if something happened to the Queen, then Princess Anna is next in line for the throne; I'm not even eligible to rule, as I'm sure most of you are aware. And fourth, there's a question no one has asked yet. Yes, Steinar comes from the Northeast Barony. But the village of Liten Landsby is not in my barony; it's in the Duchy of Erl. What was my herdsman doing there, and how did he get a bomb there?"

Erl stood angrily. "Surely you are not accusing _me_...?"

"Certainly not, Your Excellency," Anders said soothingly. "But it's a question that needs to be answered. Steinar? Your answer, please."

Steinar folded his arms and stared back at the baron.

"Perhaps you are unaware of your situation," Count Duku said. "You are charged with making an attempt on the life of Her Majesty the Queen. The penalty for attempted regicide is death by hanging." That took some of the color out of Steinar's face. "This Council might be willing to commute your sentence to life in prison, but only if you tell us _who _helped you, and _why_. It is very much in your own best interests to start talking."

After a few seconds, Steinar had a change of heart. "A man I never saw before came to my land about a month ago, and said he'd pay me plenty for a small assignment. I told him to keep talking. He eventually said he wanted me to kill the Baron, in exchange for a bag of gold. He'd give me the weapon and tell me when and where to take it. I don't like the Baron anyway, so I went along with it."

"Hold it!" Anna exclaimed. "No one knew when and where the royal carriage was going except the nobles, the burgomeisters, and the royal secretary! Someone has been spilling royal secrets, and that 'someone' has blood on his hands!"

"I have another question," Count Basi said. "You said the man told you to kill the Baron?" Steinar nodded. "But when you threw the bomb, you shouted, 'Death to the winter witch!' Why did you threaten the queen if your target was the baron?"

"That's what the man told me to say," Steinar replied. "He was really firm on that. He said it would throw people off if they tried to solve the crime."

"Another question, if you don't mind," Duku said. "What if the bomb killed the queen anyway?"

"I asked that question, too. The man said it wouldn't matter, as long as I got the baron. I was just supposed to throw the bomb and run. Nobody said anything about guards riding along with the carriage. If it wasn't for them, I would have gotten away."

"You're saying you didn't even _care_ if you killed your own queen?" Prince Kristoff couldn't believe it.

Steinar shrugged. "She never did anything for me, except starve my flock with her snow last summer."

"Okay, here's the important question," Anders asked. His injuries were beginning to get uncomfortable and he wanted this to end soon. "_Who_ sent the man to you? Do you know?"

Steinar glared at the nobles. "Yeah, I know who sent him. I got curious – I thought maybe I was being set up for something. So I followed the man once, after he met with me, and I saw him meet up with another guy. That guy right there!" His gnarled index finger pointed straight at the Duke of Erl.

"That's outrageous!" the Duke shouted, leaping to his feet. "Surely you don't believe this criminal, this regicide, this... this..."

"We will examine your financial books immediately, Duke," the Queen said emotionlessly. "If you have been trading under the table with Weselton, that will confirm the accused's story. This hearing is in recess until we can examine the evidence."

"You idiot!" Erl roared at Steinar. "I would have _doubled_ your pay if you'd kept your mouth shut!"

"If I kept my mouth shut, I'd swing for it!" Steinar shouted back. "A dead man can't spend his gold! It was all over as soon as those guards got me."

"Well, _somebody's_ got to do something," the Duke muttered.

The events of the next few moments happened so fast, most of the Council missed them. Only Anders, Anna, and Elsa were looking in the right direction and could swear before the Council that their testimony was true; everyone else was watching Steinar. The Duke stood, pulled out a dagger, and drew back his arm to throw it at Anders. From right across the table, he couldn't miss. But suddenly, there was a sound like the crack of a huge whip, and the Duke of Erl was slammed against the wall by a blast of cold. Both of his arms were cemented to that wall from wrist to elbow by an inch-thick coating of ice. The queen was standing with hands upraised, ready for another ice bolt if needed. Cold was visibly radiating off her trembling fingertips, but she mastered it, and the effect faded away.

For a moment, everyone was frozen to their seats with shock. Then Anders and Anna both rushed to Elsa's side, while Kristoff forcibly removed the dagger from the Duke's immobile hand. This was the second time the Queen had loosed her power in the Council. But she felt no remorse this time. This was no barely-controlled outburst. This was a perfectly aimed pinpoint strike, launched with no time to prepare it. She had acted instinctively to protect the man she –

...loved?

How many times would Anders have to face death before she'd admit to herself that she had feelings for him?

Meanwhile, the other people in the room were beginning to stir. "What are you trying to _do,_ you fool?" Count Nelsen demanded of the Duke.

"_You're _the one who said something needed to be done about that upstart!" the immobilized noble shot back. "Am I the only one who's man enough to try it?"

"Apparently you're the only one who's stupid enough," Kristoff snapped. "Your _Excellency_."

Elsa slowly relaxed and sat down. "I think this Council has seen and heard everything it needs to see and hear," she said shakily. "The Duke of Erl is no longer qualified to sit in judgment, because he just joined the accused. The Duchess and the three Counts will retire to the small office just down the hall, and decide on the guilt or innocence of the accused. Both of them." She gave Anders a worried glance. "The witness is excused for health reasons." Anders gratefully limped out of the chamber and back to the sitting room to rest.

"What about me?" the Duke begged.

"I'd love to leave you there for a week," Elsa snapped. "But I can't. I'll have you broken loose as soon as you answer one question." She stepped right up to him, and built up a small platform of ice under her shoes until she could look him in the eye. "That bomb could have killed me as well as Anders. Why were you so willing to put _my_ life at risk?"

"You were never at risk, Your Highness," he snarled. "I knew your precious Baron would put himself between you and harm. You might have suffered some minor injuries, but your life was in no danger as long as your lap dog was there to protect you."

She resisted the urge to slap him across the face. "Captain, break the Duke out of the ice, and then place him under arrest for attempted murder." The captain of the guard broke the ice with a few blows of his sword pommel (which probably left bruises on the Duke's forearms), then frog-marched him to a seat next to Steinar. The two glared silently at each other as they waited for the Nobles' Council, or what was left of it, to decide their fate.

Count Basi was the last to pass through the door. He paused and said, "Your Highness, the Baron saved your life from that bomb. As of today, I think the two of you are even."

_Perhaps we are,_ she thought. _In more ways than you realize, Count_.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thawing Together** Chapter 17

It didn't take the remaining nobles long to make their decision. They returned from the office and sat down gravely. They unanimously decreed that Steinar Brevik was guilty of attempted regicide and attempted murder, and that the Duke of Erl was guilty of conspiring to commit those crimes, plus his own count of attempted murder, committed before their eyes in this very chamber.

The Queen sat and deliberated for ten minutes; the only sound in the chamber was the slow dripping of the ice on the wall where she'd frozen the Duke in place. At last, she passed her sentence. "Steinar Brevik, because you didn't actually kill anyone, and because you cooperated with us, you will be spared the death penalty. You are sentenced to twenty years' hard labor in the gravel pits at the base of the North Mountain. I will make it eighteen years if you help us find and convict the man whom the Duke used as his go-between."

"I'll do that if I can," Steinar said in a small voice.

Elsa turned to the Duke. She seemed angrier at him than at the man who'd thrown the bomb. "If you were a commoner, you would end up right next to your accomplice, breaking rocks. But the rules are different for nobles – luckily for you. Crimes that would get a common man a jail sentence would get a nobleman a scolding and a slap on the wrist. That's why your friend, the Duke of Weselton, is still alive, and it's why _you'll_ be alive at the end of the day as well. But you are _going_ to suffer for what you did.

"You are to be stripped of your lands, titles, and property. Your younger brother, who has shown some skill at leadership, will be temporarily given the title of Duke of Erl until he is formally confirmed by this Council. All your belongings will be transferred to the Duchy of Erl, to be used as the new Duke thinks best."

"What's to become of me?" he whimpered. "Exile? Imprisonment? Surely not hard labor...?"

"No, ex-Duke, I have a much more appropriate fate in store for you," the queen smiled wickedly. "You have shown some talent in managing land and people, and Arendelle needs those talents. Now that Anders is being elevated to the rank of Prince-Consort, the Northeast Barony will need a new baron. _You_ will be that baron."

"No!" he exclaimed in horror. "Not _that_ useless patch of land...!"

"Yes," she said coldly. "You will be addressed as 'Baron' instead of 'Duke.' You will sit in the lowest seat in the Council. You will be the last to speak in meetings. You will treat Anders as your superior and show him due respect. If that Princess of España ever comes back, _you_ will be the one who greets her at the docks and smooths her ruffled feathers. And if you _ever _try anything shady or questionable again – and you will be watched to make sure – then you _will_ find yourself next to your friend Steinar Brevik, with a hammer in your hand and a chain around your ankle."

"Oh, and there's one more thing," she added with a malicious grin. "Kai is going to arrange for a small white poodle to be imported from Normandy. From now on, that dog _must_ be with you whenever you appear in public. You seem so fond of the idea of 'lap dogs' that you ought to get more familiar with them." The former Duke visibly wilted.

"I need to return to my manor and prepare myself for this," he said shakily.

"It is not your manor any longer, and nothing there belongs to you anymore." Elsa was just barely mastering her anger; she kept glancing at Anna and thinking about Anders, and held herself steady. "You will be given a small room in what used to be your manor, and placed under house arrest until Anders vacates his barony. At that time, you will begin your new life as the lowest-ranking nobleman in Arendelle."

She suddenly put on a sweet smile. "But don't act like it's the end of the world. Good things might come of it. I once heard of a man who became a baron, and wound up marrying a queen." She turned to the captain of the guard, and her smile vanished. "Captain, place both of these prisoners in the guardhouse until their sentences can be carried out."

"Yes, Your Highness," he answered crisply. He gestured with his head at three other guards, and they led the two disgraced men away. She visibly relaxed as soon as they were gone.

"Whew! You really hit him where it hurts, Your Highness," Kristoff said.

"Was that because of what they did to you, or because of what they did to Anders?" Anna asked her.

"Yes," Elsa replied. "Ladies, gentlemen, thank you. This Council meeting is dismissed. And now, if you don't mind, I need to see how my fiancée is feeling. I'm worried about him."

"Your Highness?" The Duchess had a question. "Since I'll outrank the new Duke, does that mean I can move up to the highest seat on the left side?"

Elsa grimaced. Could these useless nobles think of nothing but rank? "Duchess, if your biggest concern is where you sit, then you have my royal permission to go sit on a thorn. I've got more important things to worry about." She turned and left the chamber in disgust, her ice-cape rippling behind her.

That evening, Elsa dropped by the upstairs spare bedroom that Anna was using as an office to plan the royal wedding. Papers and notes of all kinds were scattered across several desks and spread out all over the bed. Anna sat on the floor, sorting papers, trying to bring some order to her own chaos.

"How's the planning going, dear sister?" Elsa asked.

"It's hard," she replied distractedly.

"I admit, that surprises me," Elsa said. "You had so many great ideas for your own wedding, I figured this would be easy for you."

"That's the problem!" Anna said as she looked up. "I used all my good ideas for _my_ wedding. Now, somehow, I've got to top that for the wedding of the queen, and I can't figure how to improve on what I've already done."

"You can do it," the queen smiled. "I have faith in you. Have you thought of the perfect spot for our honeymoon yet?"

Anna shook her head. "It limits my options when you won't travel by ship. Arendelle is surrounded by mountains, so it's not easy to go anywhere by land, either. You may have to try again on the carriage tour; I can't think of anything else."

"Arendelle is surrounded by mountains," Elsa repeated thoughtfully. She recalled something Anders had said when their relationship was beginning, and her thoughts all fell into place.

"On second thought, don't worry about the honeymoon," she smiled. "I've got that one covered."

She stepped over to a writing desk that had become the repository for all the letters of congratulations that were slowly flowing in from other sovereigns and nobles. She treasured them all and often re-read them, just to remind herself that this was really happening. Most of them were long and filled with flowery, official-sounding words, obviously written by trained secretaries. Two short, simple letters were especially dear to Anders; those letters tended to wind up on top of the pile. One read:

_Congratulations and best wishes to a fine lady and a good man._

_Sincerely,  
Prince Hans (of the Southern Isles)_

The other was even shorter and simpler, and came from an even more surprising source:

_Congratulations. May God bless you both._

_Regards,  
Major Karl Harstad  
Stavanger Defense Forces_

Two days later, a messenger brought Anders a small parcel, which had come in on the morning mail-coach. He disappeared for a few minutes, then came back with a huge smile and asked Elsa if she would join him in the library. He seated her in a comfortable couch by the fireplace, knelt down in front of her, and offered her a tiny black velvet pouch. "It's something I bought for you," he explained.

"Can you give me a hint?" she asked.

"You can open it and find out," he smiled. She loosened the drawstrings on the pouch and reached inside with two fingers. She pulled out an exquisite diamond ring. It had one large stone, not huge but definitely worthy of a queen, with a much smaller diamond on each side of it. They were set in a white-gold ring that looked like it would be a perfect fit for her finger.

"It's your engagement ring," he said, as though she hadn't figured that out. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get it for you. But the Southern Isles are the best place to import gold and diamonds, Glauerhafen has the best jewelers, and there's an old jeweler in Potet – he's the only one I'd trust to do the special engraving. This ring has been around already."

"What special engraving was that?" she asked. There wasn't any scrollwork on the ring that she could see.

"Look straight down into the stone," he suggested. She looked. She gasped in wide-eyed delight.

Visible inside the diamond, as though floating in the middle of it, was a tiny, perfect, beautiful snowflake.

Elsa stared, open-mouthed. The snowflake could be seen only when she looked straight down into the diamond. At all other angles, the reflections of the facets made the flake invisible. She had never seen or heard of anything like it.

"May I?" he said. She dropped the ring into his outstretched palm. He took it and slid it onto her waiting finger. As she'd expected, it fit perfectly. He looked up and smiled at her. "Now we're official."

Somehow, this gift touched her like no other gift she had ever received. It wasn't that the ring was expensive, or that it was perfect, or that it was beautiful, or even that it was one of a kind. It was that Anders had gone to extraordinary lengths to make it exactly the way he wanted it… for her.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

There was only one answer she could give him. They were alone, and she had never heard of any limits on smooching the Queen in private, except her own willingness to be smooched.

She suddenly realized that she was very willing indeed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thawing Together** Chapter 18

Elsa and Anders came to lunch together, hand in hand. They were surprised to find Olaf ambling around the dining room. He was even more surprised at the sight of them.

"Wait a minute! There's something different about you two. No, don't tell me, let me figure it out..." He scratched his head. Elsa laid her left hand on the table with her new ring prominently showing, just to make it easy for him.

"I got it!" the snowman exclaimed. He turned to Anders. "It's _you!_ You're smiling!"

"Yes, I suppose I am," he confessed. Elsa seemed miffed that he didn't notice the ring, so he added, "Elsa looks a little bit different, too, if you hadn't noticed." Then he stage-whispered, "You'd better notice!"

"Hmmm." He gave her a long look up and down. "The snowflakes on your cape haven't changed... you haven't cut your hair... your shoes are the same... ooh! Bright sparkly thing!" He examined the ring closely. "_Very_ nice! Does this mean you're engaged, and if so, engaged in _what?_"

"Actually, we've been engaged for over two months," Elsa replied demurely.

"Oh, sure, nobody tells the snowman anything! Hey, _wait _a minute, smiley guy! The last time we talked about this, I thought you were leaving her!"

"I thought I was," Anders grinned, "but just like with Kristoff and Anna, I got her back."

"Yay!" Olaf shouted. "Happiness! Joy! Serenity!" He tossed his head up in the air with a whoop. It nearly landed on the lunch table; Anders reached out and caught it, and set it back on his torso.

"Nice catch – thanks. I guess I got ahead of myself," Olaf grinned. "People are getting matched up all over the place! Who's going to be next?" He bounced away excitedly.

Anna and Kristoff joined them a minute later. Because Anna sat on Elsa's left, she was quick to notice the ring. She nearly went into orbit. "Elsa, that's _beautiful!_ Oh, my gosh! Kristoff, look at this!" He looked, with some reluctance, but was happy to see that the ring he'd put on Anna's finger was slightly bigger than the queen's ring.

"Look straight down at it," Elsa suggested. Anna looked, saw the snowflake, and was actually speechless for a few seconds.

"Oh... my... gosh. Oh, my gosh! Ive never seen anything like it! It's amazing! It's _perfect _for you! Anders, _you're_ amazing! Let me look at that again." Elsa smiled at all the attention, glad that the focus was on the ring and not on her. Anders just grinned. Apparently, he'd done something good.

After they all finished their meal, he pulled Elsa aside. "You know, Olaf raises an interesting question."

"You mean, who's going to get paired off next?" she wondered. "Well, Anna is married, I'm engaged... I think we're out of people in the palace who can get paired off."

Anders whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide. "Anders, you _are_ amazing! Let's do it! I'll find a few things in the gardens..."

"And I'll get one special something in the kitchen," he added.

She held up a warning finger. "You mean you'll ask one of the servants to get a special something in the kitchen, right?"

He sighed. "Yes, you're right, I'm sorry. I'll meet you in the gardens." It would have been faster to just get it himself, but he really wanted to make her happy.

He found her in the garden with a small handful of grass, two straight sticks, and three round, black stones at her feet. "Did the servants find those things for you?" he grinned as added his special item to the pile. She grimaced.

"You got me there," she sighed. "I think that's all we need."

"Good," he said. "I can't wait to see this!" He sat down on a bench and watched her. When she hesitated, he asked, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

"Did I hear the word 'snowman'?" Olaf bounced down the path toward them, his cloud racing to keep up with him. "I just _happen_ to know a thing or two about making snowmen. Maybe I can give you some suggestions? Like, maybe, waiting until there's _snow_ on the ground?"

"That's very thoughtful of you, Olaf, but I think I can handle this." Elsa gestured with both hands. Snowflakes appeared out of nowhere, spiraled together and formed a small, thick cloud on the ground. She gestured again, and the cloud thickened and reshaped itself. One more wiggle of her finger, and it was done.

"It" was a snowman about Olaf's size, with rocks for buttons, grass for hair, and Anders' carrot for a nose. Except it wasn't a snowman. The hair clearly showed that it was a snow_girl_.

"Hey, nice work!" Olaf exclaimed, then sighed. "She's a beauty, too. Too bad she isn't real."

The snowgirl blinked twice.

The two parts of Olaf's body were suddenly spinning wildly in opposite directions, while his head balanced precariously on top, staring open-mouthed at the lovely snowgirl before him. When his body stopped spinning, the lower part was facing backwards, so when he reached for her and tried to take a step towards her, he walked away instead.

"I know exactly how you feel," Anders said kindly as he turned the snowman's body around. "My frozen beauty had the same effect on me."

"Hi," said the snowgirl in a liquid alto voice, folding her hands shyly. "I'm Kari. Do any of you like warm hugs?"

"Umm... umm..." Olaf whispered over his shoulder to Elsa and Anders, "Where are those love experts when I need them the most?"

"Why don't you take Kari for a nice walk in the garden?" Elsa suggested.

"I'm told that some very romantic things can happen there," Anders added with a huge grin.

"Oh – I almost forgot!" Elsa added, with a finger gesture. A little cloud appeared over Kari's head. "That will keep you cool."

"I think she might melt me anyway," Olaf stage-whispered over his shoulder to her as they ambled down the path, hand in hand. "But what a way to go!"

Anders turned to Elsa. "You do awesome work!"

"It helps when someone gives me an awesome idea to work with," she smiled. "I think we're going to make quite a couple." She took his hand, and they went for their own romantic walk in the garden.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thawing Together** Chapter 19

The wedding was beautiful. Anna had had the chapel decorated in a blue-and-white theme, to go with Elsa's usual choices of color. Today, of course, Elsa wore only dazzling white, with an impossibly lacy veil and a long train instead of a cape. No one could tell if her dress was made of fabric or ice or a mix of the two, and she never told anyone.

Anders wore a black suit with no decorations, and a plain white shirt; even his buttons were subdued. He was entitled to wear several kinds of sashes, epaulettes, and a few small medals, but he declined to wear any of them. Kristoff, his best man, wondered why. "I don't think anybody ought to be looking at me," he replied. "She's the bride. I want them all looking at her." He got his wish.

The chapel was filled with royal and noble guests. This was the third time in barely three years that Arendelle had hosted a major social event – first Elsa's coronation, then Anna's wedding, and now Elsa's wedding – and the guest list was somewhat different from the first two ceremonies, simply because the same set of nobles couldn't manage to attend all three. Still, nearly every major and minor nation within two hundred miles sent at least one noble representative; even Weselton sent a count and his countess. The only kingdom missing was España, who offered no explanations for why they declined their royal invitation. Their two seats were given to Kai and Gerda, who thus had a fine view of the ceremony.

That ceremony was conventional for the most part. Anders' reaction to the sight of his bride walking down the aisle was quite conventional for bridegrooms – the phrase "like a reindeer in the headlights" described him perfectly. Elsa looked very, very nervous as she walked down the aisle, the focus of all the attention of nearly a hundred strangers. She kept her eyes fixed on Anders, with occasional glances at Anna, her matron of honor. No one noticed that she was leaving frosty footprints in the carpet; her train hid them until they melted out of sight.

She was still a little bit nervous as she knelt at the altar next to him, but with her sister on one side of her and her new husband on the other side, she resisted the urge to panic. There was one slight difference from the usual proceedings. The bishop left the word "obey" out of Elsa's vows. Instead, he had a special charge for Anders. "Will you, as Prince-Consort, faithfully and whole-heartedly support the Queen in all her royal dealings?" He almost blurted out, "Of course I will! I've always lived to serve the Queen," but kept it down to a sedate "I will." A sharp-eyed witness among the guests might have noticed that, when Elsa put the ring on Anders' finger, it was covered in frost; but he just looked at it and smiled at her. That made her smile as well. It defrosted quickly. When the bishop finally gave Anders permission to kiss the bride, she surrounded them with a light curtain of snowflakes that changed the moment from memorable to magical.

She had a pair of white gloves ready for the receiving line, just in case she needed them. But there was no need. Anna was close, and Anders was closer. The times when she needed one of them to actually touch her and help her focus were growing fewer and fewer. Just being near someone she loved was enough.

The reception was relaxed and enjoyable, especially for people who liked to eat. Gerda had hired a special chef from Sweden to supervise the cooking, and he'd done a superb job. They could occasionally hear him in the kitchen, happily singing a song where every verse ended with "Boort, boort, boort!" Anna had made sure there was no shortage of chocolates on the dessert table, and the servants were kept hopping with requests for more samples. Early on, Anders nearly caused some of the nobles to go into coronary arrest when he insisted on waiting on Elsa himself.

"Remember when you asked me to warn you if you were going wool-trader on me?" Elsa said quietly. "You're on the edge. We have servants for this."

"I see them," Anders nodded, "and I'll let them do their job. But this is our wedding day, and I know about you and chocolate, so _I_ wanted to feed you your first bite of chocolate as a married lady." She yielded and let him offer her a tiny chocolate-covered truffle.

"You have good taste," she smiled.

"Look at who I married," he smiled back.

Elsa had been dreading the part that came next – the dancing. She usually avoided it because she wasn't happy being the center of attention, especially when she didn't know what she was doing. There was no way she could avoid it this time, though. "I don't dance, but my sister does" was not an option at her own wedding reception. Anna had given her some basic lessons, and Anders had assured her he'd do nothing to make her look bad. She just didn't see herself as the dancing type.

"I beg to differ," Anna had said firmly. "I wish you could have seen the way you were dancing when you made your ice palace! You weren't just smooth and graceful – you were really enjoying yourself."

Elsa smiled at the memory. "If I did a dance like that at the reception, half the guests would go into shock, and the other half would want to burn me at the stake."

"Maybe," Anna shrugged, "but at least you know you can do it when you want to."

True to his word, Anders didn't try any fancy moves on the dance floor for their first dance together. He just waltzed her easily around the floor, helping her stay relaxed, and gazing into her eyes a lot. "Thank you," she said softly as the music ended.

The band had barely shifted to a more upbeat melody when Anna grabbed him by the wrist. "You're not getting away from me this time, buster!" she exclaimed.

"That's _Prince_ Buster to you," he grinned as they joined hands. He tried a few medium-level moves, which she had no trouble handling, and soon he was twirling her all over the floor.

As the music ended and the people clapped, Anna had to smile at him. "Elsa is definitely a good influence on you, Anders! You never used to be this confident!"

"I'm glad you approve of my choice of a bride," he grinned back. "Speaking of whom, it looks like that old wind-bag of a baron from Trondheim is trying to bore my wife to death, and I need to go rescue her." He quickly escorted his bride back onto the dance floor.

"You were having quite a time with my sister," she smiled as the music started.

"I'd love to have that kind of a time with you," he grinned back.

"I could never dance like that!" she exclaimed.

He leaned closer. "You don't have to dance like Anna, and you don't have to dance like me. Just dance like Elsa." His words were so similar to something she'd heard from the Grand Pabbie... but Anders hadn't been there when the trolls' chief told her that!

"I'm not sure what it means to dance like Elsa," she said hesitantly.

"If you want a suggestion, I'd say... let it go."

"Let it go," she smiled, and understood. "We'll light up the dancing floor!" He spun her gently out to arm's length. She flung out her free arm and sent a sweeping spray of snowflakes high into the air. The guests ooh'ed and ahh'ed in delight.

"I like it!" he said with even greater delight. "I think we've found your signature dance move. Let's do that again!" They did so, several times before the song ended. Everyone clapped as they left the floor. Elsa was immediately swarmed by men who eagerly wanted to be her dance partner; she told them all that she wished to sit and rest for a minute. When the Queen tells you "no," there isn't much you can do about it. They found other partners, or gathered into their preferred cliques to talk about each other.

The Queen and her new Prince-Consort sat together, nibbling on assorted desserts. "I have to admit, you really surprised me," Elsa said after a minute. "The last time I saw you at a wedding, you were a hopeless wallflower. You've really changed, for the better. What happened to you?"

"Probably the same thing that happened to you," he replied. "The last time I saw _you_ at a wedding, you never got out of your chair to dance, or do much else. You've changed, too." He paused thoughtfully. "Could it be because we're good for each other?"

Could it be? She thought back to the times when he'd helped her steady herself, or help her get away before she lost control of her power; to the inexpressible joy on his face when she'd proposed to him; to that awful moment when he'd thrown himself on her to protect her from the bomb; to that other awful moment when _she'd_ protected _him_ by throwing the Duke against the wall...

"Yes, we are definitely good for each other," she nodded. "Can we step outside for a moment? I'd like a breath of fresh air." She took his arm and they walked out together.

The palace courtyard was gaily decorated with streamers and banners for the wedding, but it was almost deserted. They sat down on the edge of a fountain. He loved the way her eyes shone in the moonlight. "Is something on your mind?" he wondered.

"I just wanted to tell you something," she nodded, with the barest hint of nervousness. "It's something I've wanted to say for months, but... between being busy, and planning the wedding, and just being nervous about things, I never got to say it."

"You know you can say anything to me, any time," he said reassuringly. "I love you, Elsa."

"I know," she nodded, then looked trustingly into his eyes. "I love you too."

For just a moment, he hesitated. Then he flung his arms around his bride and buried his face in her shoulder. "That is the most wonderful thing you could ever say to me," he sighed. "It's even better than hearing you say, 'I do,' if you can believe that."

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long to hear it," she replied softly. "I guess I had to convince myself it was true."

"Then I'm glad you talked you into it," he said, and wiped away a tear. They shared a kiss by the fountain, and were considering a second one when Kai embarrassedly called them in to cut the wedding cake.

Once that tradition was fulfilled, the dancing started again, and this time, Elsa could not escape the hordes of noblemen who wanted to be her partner. But, to their dismay, she couldn't throw snowflakes when she danced with them! They spun her out, and she swung her arm, but nothing happened. She looked at her hand, puzzled, and shook it as though it was jammed, but it acted just like any other lady's hand. She managed a few light puffs when it was Kristoff's turn, but for all the others, there was nothing.

"I guess it only works when I dance with my husband," she said apologetically. She took another turn on the dance floor with Anders, and sure enough, enchanting sprays of snow flew off her fingertips with every arm motion. The two of them smiled mischievously at each other. He knew she was deliberately holding back with the others, and "letting it go" only for him. The nobles didn't understand how her power worked, and she was shamelessly taking full advantage of that. Soon, she had no requests from possible dance partners, except from her lifetime partner. That suited both of them just fine. He was quite pleased that she was marking him as special in the eyes of all the others.

The party finally ended, and the happy couple retired to the royal chamber for the night. (If you want details, you're reading the wrong story.) The next morning, after a late breakfast together, Elsa got everyone organized. Kai had packed their bags and some supplies according to her instructions, and Kristoff and Sven (with Anna, of course) had agreed to take the newlyweds to their honeymoon destination. The trouble was, no one except Elsa had any idea where they were going. The mystery deepened when they saw that Kai had not packed a coach or a carriage, but Sven's royal sled. Olaf and Kari were perched on top of the luggage, eager for the ride to start.

"Uhh... there's one small problem, Elsa," Kristoff said as he scratched his head. "It's autumn. There's no snow on the ground."

Elsa swung her hand, and a trail of ice appeared on the ground, stretching out for a hundred yards in front of her. "Snow," she smiled. "Next question."

"I guess the next question would be, 'Where are we going?' " Olaf wondered.

"We're going to follow that trail," Elsa smiled. "As for where it leads, you'll see when we get there."

Anders glanced at Anna, who shrugged. "It's a royal secret, I guess." Kristoff offered Sven a carrot, ate one himself (they didn't share carrots anymore; it was one of those royal-dignity things), they all climbed into the sled, and away they went. Every few seconds, Elsa would lean out and extend the ice trail with a sweep of her hand. Their path led them steadily uphill, through an undisturbed pine forest. In a surprisingly short time, they had reached the snow line.

"Now I understand why you chose warm clothes for me this morning," Anders said, "but I still have no idea where we're going."

Kristoff suddenly smiled. "I think I know."

"Where?!" Anna begged him.

"You'll love it when you figure it out for yourself," he grinned.

Anna folded her arms and pouted, but a few seconds later, she laughed out loud. "Elsa, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard of!" That left Anders and the snowpeople as the only ones who hadn't guessed Elsa's secret, and the snowpeople were just enjoying the ride, unworried about the destination. Anders tried hard to be patient, but no one would even give him a clue.

**o**

_A/N_

_...and neither will I, aside from the clues I've already given you. But I'm sure a few of you have figured out what Elsa has in mind. Send me a PM with your guess, and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong._


	20. Chapter 20

**Thawing Together** Chapter 20

At last, they left the forest and crossed one of the spurs of the North Mountain. There, they stopped. Ahead of them lay an impassable gorge; the only way across was a slightly battered fairy-like bridge made of pure ice. On the far side of the bridge was... more snow.

"Here we are!" Kristoff exclaimed. "Everybody out. I'll help carry the baggage."

"O-o-okay," Anders said hesitantly. "But... where are we?"

Elsa took his hand. "Do you remember, a long time ago, you said you wish you could have seen the ice palace I built?" He nodded. "This was where I built it. It looks like the Duke of Weselton and his men did a good job of melting it down to the bedrock, but that just means I can start with a clean slate. I'm going to make another one, even better than the first one, just for the two of us."

She turned from a dumbstruck Anders to face Anna and Kristoff. "I hate to ask this, but... this is going to be a special place for my Prince and me. It will be more special if it's just the two of us watching when I make it." She made a shoo'ing gesture with her fingers. "We'll see you in a week when you bring us some more food, okay?"

Kristoff looked disappointed. "We can't even watch from a distance? I never got to see you build the first one!"

Anna stepped up next to her husband and folded her arms. "We came all this way, and you won't even let us see what we came for? I don't think so! We are _going _to watch you build this work of art, Elsa, and _don't _try to out-stubborn me! We both know how _that _story ends."

Elsa glared at her for a moment. Then she smiled. "All right, but on one condition." She stood on tiptoe and whispered in Prince Kristoff's ear. "You've got a deal," he said with a smile of his own.

Anders was staring at the ice bridge. "You made this? It's beautiful!"

Elsa smiled. "Wait until you see where it leads." They climbed the bridge together, hand in hand. She stopped every few steps to repair the damage from a battle that had been fought here months ago. Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Kari stayed where they were, and watched.

Elsa led her husband to an empty-looking patch of snow. "Your love for me was the foundation for everything we have together," she said softly. "Now it's _my_ turn to lay a foundation." She stamped her foot, and the snow around them turned to blue ice. The ice swiftly spread, branching and plating as it went, until it formed a huge pale-blue snowflake pattern nearly a hundred feet across.

"Now," she smiled, "stay close, and watch what I can do when I'm _really _inspired!" She lifted her hands, visualizing what she wanted to create, and the snow and the ice obeyed her.

On the far side of the chasm, the others watched wide-eyed as the huge snowflake rose off the ground with a rumble, lifted up by hexagonal pillars that grew upward and outward at the same time. Walls appeared, stretching upward from the frozen foundation and sideways to join one another. Snowflakes flew into the air like white sparks as the ice reshaped itself. Spires rose, and widened into turrets; arches reached inward from the turrets, met in mid-air, and stretched out to become a vaulted ceiling. Flashes of light raced up and down the ice, which was turning iridescent shades of blue and magenta. A lacy balcony appeared, giving a magnificent view to the east. There appeared to be a matching balcony on the other side, which would give an equally amazing view of the sunset.

In a matter of minutes, it was done. The groaning and grinding of ice stopped, and there was nothing to hear except the chill mountain wind. Elsa's multifaceted jewel of a palace gleamed in the midday sun.

Kristoff glanced down at Anna. "I didn't think she could improve on the first one, but... wow."

She nodded. "She definitely gets better with practice. Shall we go say 'hello' to the new couple next door?" They climbed the icy stairway, each of them carrying some of Anders and Elsa's luggage and supplies.

Inside the ice palace, Anders was clinging to Elsa, a bit nervously. "Are you okay?" she asked, surprised.

"I've never seen you do _anything_ like this," he said as he gazed all around him. "You've always done small stuff, like make snowmen and cause little storms in your room." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I had no idea you were _this_ powerful."

"That power will never hurt you," she smiled. "The love you gave me helped me harness it, and now that you've taught _me _how to love, I can control it perfectly." She gestured, and a crown made of ice, a perfect replica of the crown he would wear as Prince-Consort, appeared on his head.

He looked around at what she'd created. "This is staggering," he made himself say. "You had all this beauty in your head, and it just came into being because you wanted it to...? I must be the luckiest bridegroom who ever lived."

"Always remember, you've helped make me who I am," she whispered. They shared a kiss...

...which was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. It was Olaf. "Ding dong! Avon calling," he smirked.

Elsa scowled slightly. "You're making things up again, Olaf."

Kari, Kristoff and Anna came up behind him with the luggage and food supplies. Anna just looked around. "I think you've outdone yourself, Elsa." Her voice echoed slightly in the huge, empty chamber. It looked a lot like the palace Elsa had made before, but now the inside walls weren't plain ice. They were decorated with huge snowflake patterns that lay just under the surface. As she watched, she realized that the snowflakes were slowly moving and rotating on their own; a section of wall never looked the same from one minute to the next.

"I'm glad you like it," Elsa said quietly. "Kristoff? I think we made a deal."

"We did," he nodded. He picked up one of the bags he'd brought up the stairs, and took out his lute. He struck an arpeggio; the acoustics in the ice palace made it sound like twelve lutes at once.

Elsa curtseyed gracefully and smiled. "May I have this dance, my Prince?" she asked.

He bowed and matched her smile. "With pleasure, Your Majesty." Kristoff played a gentle melody in three-four time, and the newlyweds began to dance.

Anna felt a lump growing in her throat. The two of them danced as though they'd been doing it together all their lives. They stepped carefully on the ice, but there was no fear or hesitation. Their moves were not frenzied or showy like they'd done at the reception, but graceful and perfectly attuned to each other. Every now and then, Elsa would send up a spray of snowflakes with her hand; she aimed them so she and her husband would dance through them as they fell. The snowflakes stuck to them without melting, causing the couple to sparkle and glitter as they moved. He was beginning to look like an ice-king to match her ice-queen.

After a few minutes, Kristoff stopped playing, but the two of them danced on. The music was still playing in their minds, and they were completely oblivious to everything except each other.

"I think it's time for us to go," Kari whispered. They eased the doors shut and quietly left.

As they rode back down the mountain, Anna hugged Kristoff. "That was a pretty song you played for them," she said. "What was it?"

"Oh, that," he answered, a bit embarrassed. "It's a silly little thing I used to sing to Sven when we'd bed down in a barn for the night. But now I have to do that royal-dignity thing, so I guess it needs some new words." He gazed lovingly at his own bride and softly sang,

"Sisters love more than most people.  
"Could such a thing be true?"

Anna responded,

"Though sometimes we fight, we will still make it right,  
"And we'll always help each other through."

"So I've noticed," Kristoff chuckled. He glanced back at the new ice palace.

"Some lovers are closer than sisters.  
"Have I been misinformed?"

The snowpeople replied, in perfect harmony,

"They've been through a trial but came out with a smile  
"And they've learned how to weather the storm."

"Transformed!" Kristoff added in his Sven-voice.

Anna snuggled her head into the hollow of her prince's shoulder and quietly finished,

"They'll keep each other... warm."

_The End_

**o**

_A/N_

_This story was born from my heartfelt desire to see Elsa happy. I'm not suggesting that a girl can't be happy without a man; I'm just saying that, IMO, Elsa needs someone to love and someone to love her, and once her sister gets married, Anna won't have unlimited time to relate to her like she used to do. Seeing how none of the men in the movie are remotely good enough for Elsa (except Kristoff, who is already taken), I made one up. He's a totally ordinary guy because I'm better at writing for ordinary guys than for awesome guys._

_As I often do, I threw in a bunch of references to other stories, including The Dark Knight, Wreck-It Ralph, GI Joe, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Airplane!, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and the Muppet Show._

_The proposal scene was inspired by a similar scene from a wonderfully funny Cold-War political-satire novel, "The Mouse that Roared" by Leonard Wibberley. In that scene, another reigning princess (with much better people skills than Elsa, but still nervous) tells her beloved's father to ask his son if he (the father) can become the princess' father-in-law. Elsa was a little more direct than that, but not much._

_The names of the nobles are all low-quality puns:  
- The Duke of Erl refers to Gene Chandler's 1962 hit song, "Duke of Earl."  
- The Duchess of Potet's name came from a recipe called "Duchess Potatoes" ("potet" is the Norwegian word for "potato"). I've never tried them, but they look delicious.  
- Count Duku, of course, is a reference to Count Dooku from Star Wars.  
- Count Nelsen is a veiled reference to Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer who brought Count von Count to life on Sesame Street.  
- Count Basi refers to Count Basie, the great jazz-band leader. He's probably the least obnoxious of the five._

_Other people's names were chosen from a list of Norwegian names, mostly because I liked the way they sounded. Any resemblance to real Norwegians, living or dead, is purely coincidental._

_It was Anna's wedding that started this story, and she was the prime mover behind all the action – choosing Anders to help Elsa in the first place, compelling him to be honest about his feelings, and practically forcing Elsa to get involved with him. So even though the story was about Elsa and Anders, it was appropriate, although unintentional, for Anna to have the last word._


End file.
